WALES

Departmental Budget

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the planned (a) capital and (b) resource budget for his Department is for 2011–12.

Peter Hain: Resource and capital departmental expenditure limit (DEL) budgets beyond 2007–08 will, as normal, be determined in future spending reviews.

Public Transport (Disabled Access)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what discussions he has had with the National Assembly for Wales Secretary for Transport on disabled access on Welsh public transport.

Don Touhig: My right hon. Friend and I have regular discussions with Assembly Ministers on matters affecting Wales. Under the Disability Discrimination Act 1995 transport providers must take reasonable steps to remove physical barriers, to make their services accessible. As part of the Assembly's longer distance bus and coach strategy' a number of long-distance routes now operate accessible buses, as do many local services: buses with poor accessibility are to be phased out by 2017, and rail vehicles by 2020.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Millennium Ecosystem Assessment"

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department of the study, Millennium Ecosystem Assessment", published by the United Nations and the World Bank on 30 March; what plans he has to liaise with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on the impact of the report on the implementation of climate change and sustainable development strategies; and if he will make a statement.

Hilary Benn: The Department for International Development (DFID) welcomes the launch of Millennium Ecosystem Assessment" (MA). The report provides a useful and comprehensive overview of recent trends in ecosystem function. The detailed findings of the MA will further strengthen the evidence base for addressing the linkages between poverty and environment. This includes specific consideration of the role of ecosystems in supporting the livelihoods of the poor and the implications of changes in ecosystem function for achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
	DFID officials have reviewed the main findings of the MA Synthesis Report. They welcome the MA's detailed overview of the status of ecosystems and the consideration of change under different scenarios. DFID's interests primarily relate to policies and actions that respond to environmental challenges while bringing financial and livelihood benefits to the poor. The MA responses of particular interest to DFID include those on: strengthening the integration of environmental considerations in development co-operation; developing markets and economic based incentives for more sustainable ecosystem use; and the research and application of appropriate technologies. This will support development and improvement of tools to better integrate environmental considerations into development co-operation. DFID is already active in many of these areas, for example in taking forward our commitments to support developing countries to integrate environmental considerations into Poverty Reduction Strategies; and work on payment for ecosystem services.
	DFID will encourage the agencies involved in commissioning the report, including the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) and the Secretariats of the Conventions (in particular the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Framework Convention on Climate Change), to use the MA's analyses and results to inform their policy and implementation work.
	DFID maintains strong working relationships with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, especially in the areas of climate change, biodiversity and sustainable development. DFID officials will continue to work closely with DEFRA on these issues, taking account of the relevant findings of the MA.

Aid Suspension

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development in relation to which countries the UK has suspended aid in the past four years; and what the reasons were in each case.

Hilary Benn: The only instance since 2001–02 where the UK has suspended its bilateral aid programme is in Zimbabwe. DFID, in line with most other donors, suspended traditional development assistance programmes in late 2001 because of the poor policies of the Government and their unwillingness to engage constructively with the international community on crucial issues of political and economic governance. Our assistance has been confined to humanitarian assistance and support for civil society and United Nations programmes to tackle HIV and AIDS.

Departmental Budget

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what the planned (a) capital and (b) resource budget for his Department is for 2011–12.

Hilary Benn: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 4 April 2005, Official Report, column 1170W.

Iraq

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many attacks there have been on British forces in Iraq in each month since April 2003.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 24 January 2005
	I have been asked to reply.
	The best data available giving the breakdown of attacks against UK forces are set out in the table:
	
		
			 Year/Month Troops Infrastructure Total 
		
		
			 2003
			 Jun 5 0 5 
			 Jul 3 1 4 
			 Aug 18 3 21 
			 Sep 8 0 8 
			 Oct 21 4 25 
			 Nov 9 0 9 
			  
			 2004
			 Dec 19 1 20 
			 Jan 6 2 8 
			 Feb 10 2 12 
			 Mar 18 2 20 
			 Apr 55 41 96 
			 May 88 91 182 
			 Jun 31 40 71 
			 Jul 7 18 25 
			 Aug 109 316 425 
			 Sep 42 34 76 
			 Oct 22 17 39 
			 Nov 8 8 16 
			 Dec 6 9 15 
			  
			 2005
			 Jan 13 7 20 
			 Feb 3 0 3 
			 Mar 1 0 1 
		
	
	Consolidated data are not available for April and May 2003.

Tuberculosis

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will make a statement on the outcome of his Department's work with the World Health Organisation on the launch of the Global Tuberculosis Control Report.

Hilary Benn: The Global Tuberculosis Control Report was launched on 23 March by the Director General of the World Health Organisation at a press briefing in London co-hosted by DFID. The Report for 2005 says that global Tuberculosis (TB) prevalence has declined by more than 20 per cent. since 1990 and that incidence is now falling or stable in five of the six regions of the world. The exception is Africa, where TB is one of the most common illnesses among people with AIDS. TB incidence has tripled since 1990 in countries with high HIV prevalence and are still rising across the continent at a rate of 3–4 per cent. annually.
	DFID supports bilateral TB programmes in some countries and sector support in others. On 23 March, DFID also pledged £5 million over the next three years to the Stop TB partnership, this will provide technical support to expand TB programmes in recipient countries. The UK will work through our presidencies of the G8, and the EU to secure the international commitment needed to scale up TB control. DFID has commenced a consultation on TB with NGOs, academic institutions and others with expertise on how the UK can best do this.

World Bank

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the World Bank projects and programmes which his Department is co-financing relating to (a) privatisation, (b) public sector restructuring and (c) agricultural liberalisation in (i) Mozambique, (ii) Uganda, (iii) Ghana, (iv) Tanzania, (v) India, (vi) Jamaica and (vii) Kyrgyzstan.

Hilary Benn: DFID is currently co-financing with the World Bank the following projects/programmes in the areas of privatisation, public sector restructuring and agricultural liberalisation:
	
		
			 Country Project/Programme title 
		
		
			 Ghana Land Administration Project 
			 Ghana Multi-Donor Budget Support Programme 
			 Ghana Support to Government of Ghana Private Sector Development Strategy and Trade Programme 
			 India Andhra Pradesh Economic and Public Sector Reform Project 
			 Jamaica No projects/programmes currently being co-financed 
			 Kyrgyzstan Rural Water Supply and Sanitation Project 
			 Mozambique Reform of the Public Service 
			 Mozambique Support to Reforms in Public Expenditure Management 
			 Tanzania Selective Accelerated Salary Enhancement Project 
			 Tanzania Integrated Support to the Public Service Reform Programme 
			 Tanzania Commission for Parastatal Sector Reform 
			 Uganda Decentralisation Support Programme

TRANSPORT

A3 (Hindhead)

Virginia Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the need for improvements to the A3 at Hindhead.

David Jamieson: The Highways Agency gave a full assessment of the need for improvements to the A3 at Hindhead to the recent public inquiry into the published proposals for the scheme. The Inspector's Report is expected later this year.

Operation Stack

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the economic effects on (a) the road haulage industry and (b) the Kent economy of the implementations of Operation Stack on the M20 between 17 March 2004 and 17 March 2005;
	(2)  what representations he has received on the effects of Operation Stack on the M20; and if he will make a statement.

David Jamieson: No economic assessment of the effects of Operation Stack between 17 March 2004 and 17 March 2005 on either the road haulage industry or the Kent economy has been undertaken by the Department or the Highways Agency.
	The Department and the Highways Agency have received a number of representations from local residents, the Road Haulage Association, the Freight Transport Association and hon. Members, expressing their concerns about the impact of Operation Stack on the M20 and the local road network.
	The Highways Agency is currently considering what alternative arrangements might be possible, both in the short and longer term, to reduce the delay for travellers.

PRIME MINISTER

Ministerial Visits

David Burnside: To ask the Prime Minister what plans he has to visit the Province during the period between the dissolution of Parliament and the date of the next general election.

Tony Blair: For security reasons, my future engagements are announced as and when appropriate.

UK Trade

Graham Brady: To ask the Prime Minister what discussions he has had with the EU Trade Commissioner since his appointment relating to (a) trade policy and (b) UK domestic policy; what the dates were of each meeting and who was present at each.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave my hon. Friend the Member for Stroud (Mr. Drew) on 24 January 2005, Official Report, columns 93–94W.

Nagasaki

Llew Smith: To ask the Prime Minister when he received a letter from Sakve Shimohira on behalf of the Association for the Bereaved Families of the Atomic Bomb Dead in Nagasaki; and what response he has made.

Tony Blair: pursuant to his answer, 21 March, Offical Report, c. 569W
	I have received a letter in the form of a petition. I have asked the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs to reply to the organisation via my hon. Friend the Member for Blaenau Gwent (Llew Smith).

TREASURY

Civil Servants (Relocation)

John Thurso: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many civil servants in his Department have (a) been relocated and (b) been agreed for relocation in the last 12 months; and to which areas of the United Kingdom.

Paul Boateng: The Departments for which the Chancellor is responsible, including HM Treasury, HM Revenue and Customs and Office of National Statistics, have a target to relocate 5,050 posts out of London and the South East by 2010. HM Revenue and Customs will contribute over 80 per cent. towards this target.
	In 2004–05, HM Revenue and Customs relocated 249 posts mainly to Cardiff, Bournemouth and Truro, and Office of National Statistics 12 posts to Newport.

Crown Estate

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Crown Estate has raised from rents levied on salmon farmers in (a) Orkney and (b) Shetland in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Timms: The information is as follows:
	
		£000
		
			 Financial year Orkney rent Shetland rent Total 
		
		
			 1996 46 435 481 
			 1997 53 488 540 
			 1998 33 280 313 
			 1999 81 790 872 
			 2000 112 725 837 
			 2001 121 800 921 
			 2002 138 748 886 
			 2003 33 350 384 
			 2004 67 586 653 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures for the financial year ending 31 March 2005 are not yet available.

Crown Estate

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how much the Crown Estate has raised from charges levied on marinas and piers in Orkney and Shetland in each of the last 10 years.

Stephen Timms: The information requested is not available.

Customs and Excise (Droitwich Spa)

Peter Luff: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether payment of excess fares to staff currently employed at the Customs and Excise office in Droitwich Spa and who are transferred to other offices will be subject to income tax.

Dawn Primarolo: The excess fares allowance (EFA) is designed to assist with the additional travelling costs staff incur when they are transferred to another workplace at public expense. The allowance is taxable and staff are personally liable for the tax. The Department will not gross up the allowance for tax since EFA payments assist staff with their personal liability: that is, their journey to and from their place of work.

EU Regulations

Ian Davidson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  pursuant to his oral statement of 16 March 2005, Official Report, column 262, that half of major new regulations are from the European Union, on what data this assessment was based; and if he will make a statement on the new guidelines for the implementation of EU law in the UK;
	(2)  what proportion of (a) regulations and (b) the cost of regulation was accounted for by legislation wholly or partly implementing EU legislation in the last 10 years, according to (i) regulatory impact assessments carried out by the UK Government and (ii) assessments carried out by institutions of the European Union.

Stephen Timms: The Cabinet Office's Regulatory Impact Unit, who monitor compliance with the Regulatory Impact Assessment Process, estimate that around half of all new legislation with a significant impact on business, charities and the voluntary sector emanates from the EU.
	From the beginning of 2005, the European Commission is submitting all legislation in its work programme to an impact assessment. Furthermore, under the UK Presidency of the European Union, the European Commission will launch pilots in order to develop a common methodology for the measurement of the administrative burden associated with new and existing EU laws. These initiatives should allow such impacts to be more accurately measured in the future.
	With regards to the new guidelines for implementation of EU law in the UK, I would refer the hon. Member to paragraph 3.25 in Budget 2005, a copy of which can be found in the House of Commons Library and on the HM Treasury website.

Financial Ombudsman Service

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will require pensions advisers to comply with compensation assessment findings by the Financial Ombudsman Service; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: Under the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000, all authorised firms and persons are required to comply with the decisions of the Financial Ombudsman Service. Under the Act, if the complainant notifies the ombudsman that he accepts the determination, it is binding on the respondent and the complainant and is final.

Iraq

Annabelle Ewing: To ask Mr Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he had a role in the (a) framing, (b) drafting and (c) drawing up of the answer given by the Attorney-General on 17 March 2003 on Iraq.

Stephen Timms: The Chancellor of the Exchequer had no role in framing, drafting or drawing up the answer.

MOD Land (Purchases)

Peter Luff: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make it his policy to buy the site of the Army Medal Office, Ordnance Survey Office and Customs and Excise Office from the Ministry of Defence.

Dawn Primarolo: HM Customs and Excise have a strategy to concentrate non-location specific work such as the majority of work carried out in the Droitwich into principal office sites. In the West Midlands these are located in Birmingham and Wolverhampton. The formation of HM Revenue and Customs requires savings to be made on accommodation costs, to achieve this Customs are seeking to maximise use of their existing accommodation at these principal offices.

Mortgages

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the current average outstanding balance on mortgages for homes in (a) the UK, (b) Yorkshire and (c) York; what the typical month's interest payable on each of those balances was at the latest date for which figures are available; and what estimate he has made of what the interest on each balance would have been (i) in May 1997 and (ii) immediately after the pound fell out of the exchange rate mechanism in 1992.

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate he has made of the average size of mortgages in (a) Bassetlaw and (b) the East Midlands.

Stephen Timms: An approximate estimate for the current UK average outstanding mortgage balance is £77,000, based on Bank of England and Council of Mortgage Lenders' data. No geographic breakdowns of the data are provided. The average mortgage interest rate, based on National Statistics data, was 5.2 per cent. in January 2005, 6.7 per cent. in May 1997 and 10.6 per cent. in September 1992.

National Insurance

Tim Boswell: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many telephone calls have been made by officials in his Department to persons concerning deficiencies in their national insurance contribution records in each of the past five calendar years; and what advice was tendered by officials to persons in this position.

Stephen Timms: Deficiency notices are issued to individuals with a gap in their national insurance contributions record. The notice gives them the opportunity to query their record or to pay voluntary contributions to make up the record. Individuals can ring a dedicated helpline for information to enable them to decide what to do. They will only receive a telephone call if they ask to be rung back. No records are kept of the calls made.

No. 11 Downing Street (Entertaining)

George Osborne: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will list the individuals who were entertained at 11 Downing street in 2004.

Stephen Timms: A wide range of individuals and organisations attend official functions at No. 11 Downing street. All such functions are held in accordance with the provisions of the Ministerial Code.

Patient Numbers (Southend)

David Amess: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions the Office for National Statistics has had with Southend primary care trust on the number of patients registered in Southend.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician. I have asked him to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. David Amess, dated 7 April 2005
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning what discussions the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has had with Southend Primary Care Trust on the number of patients registered in Southend. (224918)
	ONS has not had any discussions with Southend Primary Care Trust regarding the number of patients registered in Southend. ONS have had several meetings with representatives of Southend-on-Sea Borough Council since Southend-on-Sea was one of the areas that was selected for study as part of the 2004 Local Authority Studies. These studies were carried out to improve population estimates in the areas that proved hardest to count in the 2001 Census in England and Wales. The results of these studies showed that better estimates of the population could be made in 15 areas, however for the great majority of areas, including Southend-on-Sea, the previously published 2001 Census based population estimate remains the best estimate of the population.
	As part of these studies ONS reviewed the evidence for all 376 Local Authorities to identify where population estimates may have been at risk. Patient registers were one of several administrative data sources that were used as part of the process to select areas for study.
	Southend-on-Sea Borough Council have provided analysis to ONS which includes comparisons between the number of patients registered with a doctor in Southend-on-Sea and the population estimates. We would not expect these two data sources to be the same since patient registers are not designed to measure population.

Pensioner Households (Additional Payments)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2005, Official Report, column 706W, on Northern Ireland, what the duration in Northern Ireland will be of the additional £200 payment to over-65 pensioner ratepayer households equivalent to that in Great Britain.

Stephen Timms: The one-off additional payment of £200 to be paid to council tax (or rate) paying households with someone aged 65 and over announced in Budget 2005 will be made alongside the 2005 winter fuel payments in Great Britain, i.e. before the end of December 2005.
	Northern Ireland Ministers will be introducing similar arrangements to those being introduced in Great Britain. The details are matters for Northern Ireland Ministers.

Rateable Values (Stables)

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the system of assessing rateable values of properties with stables where the stables are used entirely for non-commercial gain.

Stephen Timms: No such assessment has been undertaken.

Tax Credit

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects the tax credit case of Simone Farrell of Bircotes in Bassetlaw constituency to be resolved.

John Healey: I understand that the Tax Credit Office advised the hon. Member earlier today that they would be writing to his constituent about this matter very shortly.

Taxes and Benefits

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the average effect of taxes and benefits in (a) 1979, (b) 1997, (c) the current financial year and (d) five years' time on each decile of (i) individuals and (ii) household incomes for (A) pensions and (B) families with children.

John Healey: The detailed analysis requested cannot be undertaken in the time available before Parliament is Prorogued later today.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Burmese Teak

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what policy direction she has given to lottery distributors regarding the use of Burmese teak.

Estelle Morris: I have issued no such policy direction. The policy directions issued to the lottery distributors set out the framework for the wider aims of lottery funding, and do not specify detailed criteria.
	The directions do include the need for the distributing bodies to further the objectives of sustainable development when awarding lottery grants. The lottery distributing bodies are strongly committed to sustainable development, including the procurement of timber from legal and sustainable sources.

Burmese Teak

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on the use of Burmese teak in the Lottery-funded restoration of HMS Warrior; and what assessment she has made of whether importing Burmese teak for such use is in line with Government policy regarding trade with Burma.

Estelle Morris: In December 2000, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) awarded a grant of £725,000 to the Warrior Preservation Trust for the restoration of HMS Warrior, the Royal Navy's first ironclad and the most revolutionary warship of her age. The award was conditional upon the trust satisfying HLF that the teak came from a sustainable source.
	The Heritage Lottery Fund agreed new guidance on timber procurement in January 2005. Under this guidance, all timber used on HLF-funded projects must be obtained from verifiable legal sources. The preference must always be for HLF grant recipients to use timber that can be shown to have been obtained from sustainably managed forests. The guidance has been developed with the assistance of the UK Government's 'Central Point of Expertise on Timber' (CPET). Although there is no ban on companies trading with Burma, the Government does not encourage trade and investment with that country; neither does it give financial support to promote trade missions there.

Departmental Budget

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what the planned (a) capital and (b) resource budget for her Department is for 2011–12.

Richard Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Timms) on 4 April 2005, Official Report, column 1170W.

Drinks Industry

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list meetings her Department has had with representatives of the drinks, licensing and public house industries in the last 12 months, broken down by (a) date and (b) attendees; and whether civil servants were present at the meetings to record what occurred.

Richard Caborn: I regret that it has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Droitwich Spa Lido

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will make a statement on proposals to list the Droitwich Spa Lido building.

Richard Caborn: The most recent application to list this building has been assessed by English Heritage, the Secretary of State's statutory advisors on listing matters. English Heritage's advice has now been sent to the Department and officials are considering this advice prior to advising Ministers. This building was previously assessed in 2002 and the decision taken then was that the building was not of sufficient architectural merit to warrant being listed.

Film Piracy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to tackle film piracy.

Estelle Morris: Together with Lord Sainsbury, Minister for Science and Innovation at the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), I chair the Creative Industries Forum on Intellectual Property. The forum has been exploring the issue of piracy as it affects all the creative industries. The forum's members include Government Departments and representatives from the creative industries sectors, including the UK Film Council, the Government's strategic agency for film. The threat of piracy to the film industry was outlined in the UK Film Council's report Film Theft in the UK", published in December 2004 and these findings have been fed into the work of the forum.
	We expect the forum to make final recommendations later this year. The Government will consider these and make a detailed response in due course.

Public Service Agreements

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what recent assessment she has made of whether the public service agreement target to halt the rise in obesity among children aged under 11 by 2010 will be met.

Richard Caborn: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by my hon. Friend the Minister for Public Health (Miss Johnson) on 4 April 2005, Official Report, column 1101W.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Antisocial Behaviour

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how long it took for a case for a breach of an antisocial behaviour order to appear before the courts in the last period for which figures are available; what the sentencing guidelines are in such cases; and what sentences have been imposed by the courts for breaches of such orders.

David Lammy: Data is not collected on the time it takes for breach of an antisocial behaviour order (ASBO) to be brought before the court.
	Breach of an ASBO carries a maximum penalty of six months imprisonment and/or a maximum £5,000 fine in the magistrates courts and a maximum five years imprisonment and/or a fine in the Crown court. The maximum sentence the Youth Court can impose is a 2-year detention and training order. Guidance on how to deal with a breach is set out in the Magistrates' Courts Sentencing Guidelines" produced by the Magistrates' Association. These give a starting point guideline of custody based on a first time adult offender pleading not guilty. They also list examples of possible aggravating factors. When dealing with a child or young person, the court is required to have regard to his or her welfare.
	Data on the sentences imposed by the courts for breach of ASBO is available for the period June 2000 to December 2003. It shows that 55 per cent. of defendants who breached their ASBO received a custodial sentence, 27 per cent. received a community penalty, 9 per cent. received a fine, 3 per cent. received a discharge and 6 per cent. received some other sentence.

Discipline Policy

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if the Lord Chancellor will discipline or dismiss Mr. Philip Bassett for his use of foul and abusive language to BBC employees when present with the Lord Chancellor in an official capacity in BBC studios on the morning of 21 March.

David Lammy: No and No. Following the interview in the BBC studios on 21 March Mr. Bassett sent a letter of explanation to the editor of the Today programme and apologised unreservedly. No further action is contemplated.

Discipline Policy

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what his Department's policy is on the use of foul and abusive language by its employees when dealing with third parties.

David Lammy: My Department conduct policy identifies offensive language as one example of inappropriate behaviour. Serious cases, or repeated incidences of minor misconduct, would result in formal action. Line managers are encouraged in the first instance to resolve issues of minor misconduct informally.

Judicial Officers

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs how many (a) full-time and (b) part-time judicial officers were in post in each year since 1975, broken down by gender.

David Lammy: Figures detailing the numbers in post across the full range of judicial offices for 1975–87 are not easily available in any complete form. It is important to note that the figures provided are not necessarily complete and reflect only those that are available or were collected.
	The number of judicial officers that were in post between 1987–92 is detailed in tables A (full time) and B (part time). Gender breakdown for this period has not been given because it is not available. These figures include the Tribunal posts known about.
	The numbers of judicial officers who were in post 1993–2004 are detailed in tables C (i) and (ii) for full time officers and D (i) and (ii) for part time officers) and are broken down by gender. The figures for the years 1993–98 do not include Tribunal offices as these are incomplete and unobtainable in this timescale or without disproportionate cost.
	The figures for 1999–2004, include tribunal posts and come from the DCA's judicial database and reflect the information held regarding those posts, at the time of obtaining the statistics.
	Between 1999–2004 there were a number of Tribunal officers in post who cannot be verified by the judicial database as full or part time. These figures are detailed in table E and are not included in tables C or D.
	In post figures for the Lay Magistracy between 1988–2004 can be found at table F. Figures are not available for the years 1987 and 1989. Until 2001 the figures were compiled on a calendar year basis, after which they were compiled on a financial year basis. All figures include the Duchy of Lancaster.
	
		Table A: Full time judicial officers in post 1987–92, including figures for the Tribunal posts known about
		
			  Total 
		
		
			 1987 875 
			 1988 900.5 
			 1989 921 
			 1990 910 
			 1991 975 
			 1992 1,044 
		
	
	
		Table B: Part time judicial officers in post 1987–92, including figures for the Tribunal posts known about
		
			  Total 
		
		
			 1987 2,224 
			 1988 2,206 
			 1989 2,422 
			 1990 2,429 
			 1991 2,630 
			 1992 2,621 
		
	
	
		Table C (i): Full time judicial officers in post 1993–98, excluding Tribunal posts (broken down by gender)
		
			  Male Female Total 
		
		
			 1993 919 59 978 
			 1994 962 75 1,037 
			 1995 993 83 1,076 
			 1996 1,042 87 1,129 
			 1997 1,037 91 1,128 
			 1998 1,078 109 1,187 
		
	
	
		Table C (ii): Full time judicial officers in post 1999–2004, including Tribunal posts (broken down by gender)
		
			  Male Female Total 
		
		
			 1999 1,307 172 1,479 
			 2000 1,328 205 1,533 
			 2001 1,357 217 1,574 
			 2002 1,392 240 1,632 
			 2003 1,463 266 1,729 
			 2004 1,482 287 1,769 
		
	
	
		Table D (i): Part time judicial officers in post 1993–98, excluding Tribunal posts (broken down by gender)
		
			  Male Female Total 
		
		
			 1993 1,811 178 1,989 
			 1994 1,794 186 1,980 
			 1995 1,762 204 1,966 
			 1996 1,734 201 1,935 
			 1997 1,739 200 1,939 
			 1998 1,871 250 2,121 
		
	
	
		Table D (ii): Part time judicial officers in post 1999–2004, including Tribunal posts (broken down by gender)
		
			  Male Female Total 
		
		
			 1999 5,077 1,526 6,603 
			 2000 4,693 1,307 6,000 
			 2001 4,824 1,386 6,210 
			 2002 5,068 1,608 6,676 
			 2003 5,287 1,992 7,279 
			 2004 5,437 2,068 7,505 
		
	
	
		Table E: Number of Tribunal officers in post 1999–2004, but not shown as full time or part time on the Judicial database (broken down by gender)
		
			  Male Female Total 
		
		
			 1999 195 53 248 
			 2000 597 341 938 
			 2001 537 325 862 
			 2002 511 317 828 
			 2003 242 80 322 
			 2004 284 97 381 
		
	
	
		Table F: Lay magistrates in post 1988–2004 (brokendown by gender)
		
			  Male Female Total 
		
		
			 1988 15,992 11,934 27,926 
			 1989 n/a n/a 0 
			 1990 16,090 12,577 28,667 
			 1991 16,098 12964 29062 
			 1992 16,105 13,336 29,441 
			 1993 16,087 13,599 29,686 
			 1994 16,151 13,903 30,054 
			 1995 16,045 14,043 30,088 
			 1996 15,951 14,375 30,326 
			 1997 15,858 14,516 30,374 
			 1998 15,713 14,648 30,361 
			 1999 15,561 14,699 30,260 
			 2000 15,544 14,764 30,308 
			 2001 14,639 14,096 28,735 
			 2002 14,498 13,981 28,479 
			 2003 14,392 13,952 28,344 
			 2004 14,555 14,150 28,705

Overseas Citizens

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will estimate the proportions of eligible UK citizens resident overseas who have not registered to vote, broken down by (a) service personnel and (b) civilians.

David Lammy: The information is not collected. British citizens resident overseas are entitled to apply to be included on the overseas electors' list. This is not compulsory, however, and electoral registration officers are not required to obtain or record the proportion of eligible British citizens previously resident in the electoral area for which they are responsible who do not register as overseas voters. It is not possible to identify separately those overseas electors who may also be service personnel. According to the Office for National Statistics the number of British citizens included on the overseas electors' list in December 2004 was 9,672.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Civilian Trials (Armed Forces)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Solicitor-General if the Attorney-General will review the application of the double jeopardy rule as it relates to soldiers going to trial in the civilian courts having lost the opportunity of a court martial on the grounds that the commanding officer found there was no case to answer.

Harriet Harman: The double jeopardy rule applies to soldiers in the same way as it does to defendants in the civilian courts. The Attorney-General will not review the application of the double jeopardy rule as it relates to soldiers going to trial in the civilian courts.
	For the doctrine of autrefois convict/acquit to apply the defendant must stand for a second time in jeopardy". Jeopardy" means a real risk or danger of punishment following conviction. In cases transferred to the civilian system from the military the doctrine of autrefois convict/acquit will apply as in any other case.

Civilian Trials (Armed Forces)

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Solicitor-General pursuant to her oral answer of 24 March, in what circumstances it would be appropriate to bring to trial a serving soldier in the civilian courts.

Harriet Harman: The vast majority of offences committed by Army personnel are dealt with by courts martial, following investigation by the military police. In some cases both in the UK and abroad there is concurrent jurisdiction. Often, the most appropriate jurisdiction is for the case to proceed in the military system. When considering the appropriate jurisdiction for trial the various considerations will be taken into account such as where the offence was allegedly committed in operational circumstances; whether there are other charges which can only be preferred under military law; witness availability; whether the alleged victim is military or civilian; whether the soldiers committed offences with civilians who are not subject to military law.
	This is not an exhaustive nor cumulative list but an example of the type of considerations that will apply in deciding when it would be appropriate to bring to trial a serving soldier in the civilian courts.

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Solicitor-General, when will she reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall, North of 24 January concerning a constituent, reference ULS/8/05

Harriet Harman: I have no record of receiving the hon. Member's letter dated 24 January. However, I will write to him to advise him of the outcome of the case about which I wrote to him on 24 January.

Crown Prosecution Service

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General what the cost of staffing the Crown Prosecution Service was in (a) Essex and (b) Southend in each year since 1997.

Harriet Harman: The figures given in the following table include the staff in the trials unit preparing papers for prosecutions in the Crown court, as well as staff allocated to prosecutions in magistrates court, and staff engaged in administrative support and management.
	
		Total staff payroll costs for Essex
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 2,680,184 
			 1998–99 2,866,935 
			 1999–2000 3,005,097 
			 2000–01 3,169,339 
			 2001–02 3,818,204 
			 2002–03 4,392,303 
			 2003–04 4,912,280 
			 2004 (To date) 4,924,402 
		
	
	Southend Criminal Justice Unit (CJU) restructured following the implementation of the Glidewell Project in 2000. This resulted in transfer of staff from Chelmsford's main office, to the co-located Criminal Justice Units shared with Essex Police, and is reflected in a discontinuity in payroll figures for periods before and after the date of re-structuring.
	
		Total staff payroll costs for Southend CJU
		
			  £ 
		
		
			 1997–98 455,631 
			 1998–99 487,379 
			 1999–2000 482,907 
			 2000–01 494,527 
			 2001–02 439,249 
			 2002–03 619,278 
			 2003–04 656,845 
			 2004 (To date) 524,390

Crown Prosecution Service

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General what plans she has to make the activities of the Crown Prosecution Service more transparent when considering a prosecution.

Harriet Harman: The Code for Crown Prosecutors, which sets out the guidance for prosecutors, is a publicly available document issued by the Director of Public Prosecutions. Detailed legal guidance that underpins the Code is available on the Crown Prosecution Service's website.
	The Crown Prosecution Service now routinely explains to victims its decisions to discontinue or down grade the charges.
	The Crown Prosecution Service explains its role to communities at both local and national levels and consults on the development of its prosecution policies, in particular in the areas of domestic violence, race crime, homophobic crime and the prosecution of rape offences.
	HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate inspects and reports on CPS Areas and thematic issues. The Crown Prosecution Service produces an Annual Report.

Crown Prosecution Service

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General 
	(1)  how many (a) domestic violence, (b) vehicle theft, (c) assault, (d) youth crime, (e) violence against the person, (f) violent crime and (g) sexual offence cases the Crown Prosecution Service has brought in (i) Essex and (ii) England and Wales in each year since 1997; and how many of these resulted in (A) conviction and (B) acquittal;
	(2)  how many cases have been referred to the Crown Prosecution Service relating to graffiti in (a) Essex and (b) England and Wales in each year since 1997; and how many resulted in (i) conviction and (ii) acquittal;
	(3)  how many prosecutions there have been in (a) Essex and (b) Southend for (i) possession of and (ii) dealing in each category of drug in each year since 1997;
	(4)  what criteria the Crown Prosecution Service uses in making decisions on whether or not to prosecute when a person is found dead under suspicious circumstances;
	(5)  how many objections have been lodged against lenient sentences in all categories of convictions in each year since 1997; and how many of those were successfully upheld in each year;
	(6)  pursuant to the answer of 8 February 2005, Official Report, column 1639W, on mobile phone offences, what the cost to public funds was of prosecutions since February 2004; and if she will make a statement;
	(7)  how many objections have been lodged against lenient sentences in all categories of convictions of police officers in each year since 1997; and how many of these in each year were successfully upheld.

Harriet Harman: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Accounts

Tony Baldry: To ask the Solicitor-General whether she has issued written instructions to override her Department's accounting officer's objections since 1997.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 14 March 2005, Official Report, column 79W.

Departmental Budget

George Osborne: To ask the Solicitor-General what the planned (a) capital and (b) resource budget for the Law Officers' Department is for 2011–12.

Harriet Harman: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury on 4 April 2005, Official Report, column 1170W.

Legal Advice (Iraq)

Lynne Jones: To ask the Solicitor-General on how many occasions since 1997 law officers' advice had been presented to the Cabinet orally, prior to the Attorney-General's oral presentation to the Cabinet of his advice on the legality of the war in Iraq.

Harriet Harman: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Lenient Sentences

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General, how many unduly lenient sentences for crimes committed by serving police officers have been referred to the Court of Appeal in (a) England, (b) Essex and (c) Southend in each of the last five years; and how many appeals have been upheld in each of those years.

Harriet Harman: Records are kept by the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers on the cases referred to Law Officers by prosecution agencies and those brought to the attention of Law Officers by direct correspondence. Records kept in the present form commenced in 2002.
	Records are not organised by offenders' employment. Therefore, it is not possible to identify with certainty the number of references for the period when records commenced involving serving police officers.
	Some data has been obtained by searching for references which contain the words serving police officer". The following data was obtained:
	2002—One case referred to the Court of Appeal which concerned a retired Metropolitan police officer. The sentence was unchanged.
	2003—One case referred to the Court of Appeal which concerned a Kent police officer. The sentence was increased.
	2004—Two cases were received by the Law Officers which involved police officers. The first concerned a retired Yorkshire constabulary officer. This was referred to the Court of Appeal which concluded the sentence was not unduly lenient. The second concerned a retired Metropolitan police officer. This was not referred to the Court of Appeal.
	2005—One case has been received by the Law Officers which involved two serving police officers from the Surrey Constabulary. It was not referred to the Court of Appeal.

Ministerial Visits

Keith Vaz: To ask the Solicitor-General how many EU countries the Attorney-General has visited since his appointment.

Harriet Harman: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

National Intelligence Database

Harry Barnes: To ask the Solicitor-General what procedures (a) Government Departments and agencies and (b) local authorities with independent prosecuting authority for particular criminal offences use to forward details of convictions, cautions and intelligence on possible criminals to (i) the Criminal Records Bureau and (ii) the Police National Computer; what amendments to these procedures are proposed in relation to the National Intelligence Database; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available for Prorogation.

Offences (Statutory Charging)

David Amess: To ask the Solicitor-General pursuant to her answer of 8 March 2005, Official Report, column 1637W, on Crown Prosecution Service (Essex Pilot), how many offences have been brought to justice through statutory charging in each of the areas where statutory charging is in operation.

Harriet Harman: Between 17 May 2004 and 9 November 2004, statutory charging became operational in 14 police/CPS Areas. The number of cases which received early advice and charging decisions, and were finalised as convictions in each area since the area's implementation of statutory charging are as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 2,721 
			 Cleveland 1,881 
			 Greater Manchester 4,194 
			 Humberside 2,144 
			 Kent 3,056 
			 Lancashire 4,844 
			 London 4,837 
			 Merseyside 1,829 
			 Northumbria 3,5 44 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,721 
			 South Yorkshire 2,671 
			 Thames Valley 1,809 
			 West Midlands 2,460 
			 West Yorkshire 7,952 
			 Total (all 14 areas) 46,663

Rape/Sexual Assault

Vera Baird: To ask the Solicitor-General what research the law officers have (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the reasons for the attrition rate in rape prosecutions.

Harriet Harman: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Rape/Sexual Assault

Vera Baird: To ask the Solicitor-General what plans she has to ask the Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate further to investigate the way in which rape is prosecuted in England and Wales.

Harriet Harman: The Criminal Justice Chief Inspectors' Group intend to include a follow-up to the joint inspection of Investigation and Prosecution of Cases Involving Allegations of Rape" (the report of which was published by HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate and HM Inspectorate of Constabulary in April 2002) in its programme for 2005–06. Details of the programme have not been finalised, it is likely to be in the second half of the year.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Adult Education (Crosby)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what public funding has been spent on adult (a) literacy and (b) numeracy in Crosby in each of the last five years.

Ivan Lewis: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

Adult Learning Inspectorate

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent in legal fees by the Adult Learning Inspectorate in contesting the unfair dismissal and sex discrimination cases brought by Mrs Lesley Virr; and who authorised this expenditure.

Ivan Lewis: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

Adult Learning Inspectorate

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much the Adult Learning Inspectorate spent on legal fees in the 12 months to 31 March.

Ivan Lewis: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

Child Care (York)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many child care places have been created in York since 1997.

Margaret Hodge: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

Child Protection

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action she is taking to address the issues raised by Operation Paladin Child.

Margaret Hodge: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

Child Protection

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the proposed replacement of child protection measures with the integrated children's system.

Margaret Hodge: holding answer 5 April 2005
	The Integrated Children's System (ICS) has been designed to enable social services and partner agencies to achieve better outcomes for children in need.
	In the longer term, as the ICS becomes widely used, its supporting IT system will enable child protection and other children's services staff to identify children on the system who have been the subject of enquiries into whether they are at risk of suffering, or have suffered, significant harm; have been the subject of a child protection conference; or who are the subject of a child protection plan.
	Once the system is developed and operating, there will no longer be a need for local authorities to maintain a Child Protection Register separate from or additional to the Integrated Children's System. No date has yet been identified for this change to be completed.

Children at Risk

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures are in place to monitor the effectiveness of procedures aimed at protecting children at risk when they move between England and Wales.

Margaret Hodge: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

Civil Servants (Relocation)

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many civil servants in her Department have (a) been relocated and (b) been agreed for relocation in the last 12 months; and to which areas of the United Kingdom.

Derek Twigg: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

Community Family Trusts

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when she expects to make an announcement concerning community family trusts grant programmes.

Margaret Hodge: We have not completed our consideration of applications under the Strengthening Families grant programme. Applications from organisations meeting the criteria for Strategic, ongoing MARS and FSG commitments (which include Family Matters York, Poole Community Family Trust, Somerset Family Partnerships and Totnes Community Family Trust) or Infrastructure/Change Up awards have been decided.
	However, other applications, including others from the Community Family Trusts will be decided later in the summer.

Deaf Students

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research she has commissioned on academic achievements of deaf and hard of hearing pupils in (a) mainstream schools and (b) special schools and units.

Margaret Hodge: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

Deaf Students

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research she has commissioned on the effects of matching teaching methods to the degree of deafness on the academic achievements of deaf and hard of hearing pupils.

Margaret Hodge: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Budget

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the planned (a) capital and (b) resource budget for her Department is for 2011–12.

Stephen Twigg: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by, Financial Secretary to the Treasury, on 4 April 2005, Official Report, column 1170 W.

Education Funding

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the capital funding was for (a) sixth form colleges and (b) further education colleges in (i) the London borough of Southwark, (ii) Greater London and (iii) England in each of the last five years.

Kim Howells: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC), including capital investment. Consequently the Department does not collect or hold the information requested.
	Mark Haysom, the Learning and Skills Council's chief executive will write to the hon. Member with details of what the capital funding was for (a) sixth form colleges and (b) further education colleges in (i) the London borough of Southwark, (ii) Greater London and (ii) England in each of the last five years. A copy of the letter will be placed in the House Library.

Energy Consumption

Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will list the private finance initiative contracts which (a) her Department and (b) local education authorities advertised in 2004, indicating in each case whether the output specification included (a) clauses specifically relating to energy consumption and energy efficiency, (b) a requirement for relevant equipment being purchased to be on the Government's energy technology list, (c) a requirement to use whole life costing to assess energy costs for any new building or major refurbishments and (d) a requirement that new buildings or major refurbishments would be constructed to a specific energy standard; and what standard was specified in each case.

Stephen Twigg: holding answer 15 March 2005
	The Department for Education and Skills itself is not a party to any private finance initiative (PFI) contracts and therefore does not advertise such contracts. PFI projects for the provision of schools are delivered through contracts between local authorities and private sector contractors and these contracts are advertised in the Official Journal of the European Union".
	The Department does not hold details of the exact energy requirements in the output specification linked to each contract. However, the Department's policy is to support the efficient use of energy in schools buildings and it expects schools PFI projects to follow departmental guidance on energy efficiency. Most output specifications quote the Department's own standard (Building Bulletin 87 Guidelines for Environmental Design in Schools", 2nd Edition Version 1 (May 2003), which is downloadable from www.teachernet.gov.uk/energy.) This standard complies with Part L2 (Conservation of Fuel and Power") of the Building Regulations.
	There are a total of 109 schools PFI projects either signed or in negotiation in 88 different local authorities. Details of these projects and the local authorities involved can be found at www.teachernet.gov.uk/pfi.

Ethnic Minority Students

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the proportion of black and ethnic minority students is in (a) sixth form colleges and (b) further education colleges in (i) the London borough of Southwark, (ii) Greater London and (iii) England.

Ivan Lewis: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

Ethnic Minority Students

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what powers she has to require universities to tackle discrimination against minority groups on campus.

Kim Howells: Universities are independent bodies which have their own procedures for dealing with incidents of discrimination against minority groups. Ministers have no powers to intervene in such matters. Universities are bound by equality and diversity legislation and it is the responsibility of their governing bodies to ensure that non-discriminatory practices are followed. The Race Relations (Amendment) Act specifically requires institutions to promote equality of opportunity, promote good relations between people of different races and eliminate unlawful racial discrimination.

FE Colleges

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what instructions or guidelines are issued to Ofsted inspectors regarding the assessment of learning resources services in further education colleges.

Ivan Lewis: The current common inspection framework for post-16 providers, which sets out the principles applicable to the inspections of further education colleges, states that inspectors should evaluate the adequacy, suitability and use of specialist equipment, learning resources and accommodation. In making these judgements, inspectors should consider the extent to which, among other things, learners have access to learning resources that are appropriate for effective independent study, resources are used to best effect in promoting learning, and the extent to which learning resources and accommodation allow all learners to participate fully. Fuller details are set out in the Handbook for Inspecting Colleges", which is produced and disseminated by Ofsted and the Adult Learning Inspectorate.

FE Colleges

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what training is given to Ofsted inspectors on the operation of learning resources services in further education colleges.

Ivan Lewis: Under the current inspection arrangements, Ofsted and the Adult Learning Inspectorate train all inspectors on how to cover all of the key questions in the common inspection framework for post-16 providers, which sets out the principles applicable to the inspection of further education colleges. This includes training in how to evaluate the quality and effectiveness of learning resources. Inspectors judge to what extent learning resources are fit for purpose. Under the revised common inspection framework, operating from September 2005, similar training will be provided by the two inspectorates.

Higher Education Funding (York)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much funding per (a) undergraduate and (b) postgraduate student the Government have provided to (i) the University of York and (ii) University College of York St. John in each year since 1996–97.

Kim Howells: The information requested can be found in the following tables, however it is not possible to provide a comparable time series as the changes in the funding models vary from year to year. Information prior to 1998–99 is not available on a similar basis to the later years and has therefore been shown in separate tables.
	
		University of York
		
			  Teaching funding 
		
		
			 1996–97  
			 UG (including PGT) 2,561 
			 PGR 1,507 
			   
			 1997–98  
			 UG (including PGT) 2,567 
			 PGR 1,592 
		
	
	
		
			 (NOT a time series) Rates for standard teaching funding Home and EC HEFCE-funded FTEs (T model) Rate for PGR supervision fund Widening participation funding Rewarding and developing staff funding 
		
		
			 1998–99  
			 UG 2,790 4,395 — — — 
			 PGT 1,670 551 — — — 
			 PGR 2,169 261 3,251 — — 
			   
			 1999–2000 — — — 102,188 — 
			 UG 2,885 4,884 — — — 
			 PGT 1,847 585 — — — 
			 PGR 2,397 237 3,502 — — 
			   
			 2000–01 — — — 166,031 — 
			 UG 3,114 4,681 —- — — 
			 PGT 2,073 483 — — — 
			 PGR 2,534 250 3,542 — — 
			   
			 2001–02 — — — 234,295 594,163 
			 UG 3,083 5,005 — — — 
			 PGT 1,914 530 — — — 
			 PGR 2,615 255 3,525 — — 
			   
			 2002–03 — — — 275,075 896,460 
			 UG 3,080 5,347 — — — 
			 PGT 1,676 535 — — — 
			 PGR 2,576 228 3,393 — — 
			   
			 2003–04 — — — 527,255 1,382,345 
			 UG 2,985 5,584 — — — 
			 PGT 1,620 587 — — — 
			 PGR 2,531 238 3,521 — — 
			   
			 2004–05 — — — 496,396 — 
			 UG 3,282 5,854 — — — 
			 PGT 1,499 639 — — — 
			 PGR 3,111 225 3,830 — — 
			   
			 2005–06 — — — 402,819 — 
			 UG 3,440 5,982 — — — 
			 PGT 1,610 580 — — — 
			 PGR — — 5,981 — — 
		
	
	
		University College of York St. John
		
			  Teaching funding 
			 1996–97  
		
		
			 UG (including PGT) 2,043 
			 PGR 0 
			   
			 1997–98  
			 UG (including PGT) 2,099 
			 PGR 0 
		
	
	
		
			 (NOT a time series) Rates for standard teaching funding Home and EC HEFCE-funded FTEs (T model) Rate for PGR supervision fund Widening participation funding Rewarding and developing staff funding 
		
		
			 1998–99  
			 UG 2,790 4,395 — — — 
			 PGT 1.670 551 — — — 
			 PGR 2,169 261 3,251 — — 
			   
			 1999–2000 — — — 102,188 — 
			 UG 2,885 4,884 — — — 
			 PGT 1,847 585 — — — 
			 PGR 2,397 237 3,502 — — 
			   
			 2000–01 — — — 166,031 — 
			 UG 3,114 4,681 — — — 
			 PGT 2,073 483 — — — 
			 PGR 2,534 250 3,542 — — 
			   
			 2001–02 — — — 234,295 594,163 
			 UG 3,083 5,005 — — — 
			 PGT 1,914 530 — — — 
			 PGR 2,615 255 3,525 — — 
			   
			 2002–03 — — — 275,075 896,460 
			 UG 3,080 5,347 — — — 
			 PGT 1,676 535 — — — 
			 PGR 2,576 228 3,393 — — 
			   
			 2003–04 — — — 527,255 1,382,345 
			 UG 2,985 5,584 — — — 
			 PGT 1,620 587 — — — 
			 PGR 2,531 238 3,521 — — 
			   
			 2004–05 — — — 496,396 — 
			 UG 3,282 5,854 — — — 
			 PGT 1,499 639 — — — 
			 PGR 3,111 225 3,830 — — 
			   
			 2005–06 — — — 402,819 — 
			 UG 3,440 5,982 — — — 
			 PGT 1,610 580 — — — 
			 PGR — — 5,981 — —

Jewish Students

Louise Ellman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent reports she has received of incidents of intimidation of Jewish students at the School of Oriental and African Studies; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Secretary of State is aware of recent press reports of tensions at the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) but she has not received any reports of individual incidents of intimidation against Jewish students there.
	Higher education institutions are independent bodies which have their own procedures for dealing with incidents of racial discrimination and intolerance. They are bound by equality and diversity legislation and it is the responsibility of their governing bodies to ensure that non-discriminatory practices are followed. The Race Relations (Amendment) Act specifically requires institutions to promote equality of opportunity, promote good relations between people of different races and eliminate unlawful racial discrimination.
	While we deplore any incidents of racial intolerance in higher education institutions it is the responsibility of individual governing bodies to take appropriate action if such incidents occur.

Jewish Students

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations she has received regarding intimidation experienced by Jewish students at the School of Oriental and African Studies; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

Litter

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action she is taking to promote anti-litter campaigns in schools.

Derek Twigg: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

Migrant Intakes

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what additional support her Department provides to schools with a recent large migrant intake.

Margaret Hodge: Local education authorities receive funding for all pupils on the school roll in their area through the Education Formula Spending Share. The formula also takes account of the number of pupils with English as an additional language. In 2004–05 the Ethnic Minority Achievement Grant, a matched funded grant which is part of the Standards Fund, has provided a total of £162 million of ring-fenced funding to schools, aimed at raising the attainment of under-achieving minority ethnic pupils and those whose first language is other than English. For 2005–06, this total will be £168.6 million.
	In addition, in 2003 my Department conducted the Aiming High: Raising the Achievement of Minority Ethnic Pupils" consultation. This has been followed by a wide range of initiatives aimed at addressing the specific needs of certain groups of pupils, including those whose first language is other than English. Part of this initiative is the Primary National Strategy English as an Additional Language (EAL) Pilot which involves the provision of EAL consultants in 21 local education authority areas, each working with 10 schools. The role of these consultants is to develop an intensive professional development programme for mainstream school staff. This will enable the development of improved skills and confidence among mainstream teachers and allow for the production of teaching and learning materials and the dissemination of good practice.
	My Department has also worked with the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority (QCA) and Ofsted to promote a common national approach to assessment of the acquisition of English language fluency based on the National Curriculum in English levels. This approach states that particular care needs to be taken to assess the needs of newly arrived pupils and the importance of using pupils' first languages as part of the assessment process. Finally, my Department provided funding to the QCA to develop guidance to help teachers respond to the needs of newly arrived pupils. This guidance Pathways to Learning for New Arrivals" was launched in December 2004 and provides all school staff with access to information on all aspects of integrating newly arrived pupils, including good practice case studies, to ensure that these pupils get full access to the National Curriculum. This guidance can be found on the QCA website—www.qca.org.uk

Pre-school Education

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many free (a) nursery and (b) pre-school places were available for (i) three and (ii) four-year-olds in Crosby in each of the last seven years.

Margaret Hodge: All four-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since September 1998. All three-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since April 2004.
	The available information on the numbers of free part-time early education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Sefton Local Education Authority area and parliamentary constituencies within Sefton local education authority area since 1998 is shown in the tables.
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 39/2004 Provision for children under five years of age in England—January 2004 (final)", which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
	
		Number of free nursery education places(1) taken up by three and four-year-olds—Sefton Local Education Authority area: Position in January each year
		
			  3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
			  Maintained nursery and primary schools(2) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total 3-year-olds Maintained nursery and primary schools(3) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total 4-year-olds 
		
		
			 1998 2,000 n/a 2,000 n/a n/a (4)3.300 
			 1999 2,100 n/a 2,100 n/a n/a (4)3,200 
			 2000 2,100 (5)290 2,400 n/a n/a (4)3,100 
			 2001 2,100 (5)780 2,900 n/a n/a (4)3,200 
			 2002 1,800 (5)940 2,800 2,900 (4)350 3,200 
			 2003 1,700 (5)970 2,700 2,700 (6)390 3,100 
			 2004 1,800 (7)970 2,700 2,500 (8)400 2,900 
		
	
	(1) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.
	(2) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(3) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(4) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(5) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(6) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census supplementary data collection exercise and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(7) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(8) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	
		Number of free nursery education places(9) taken up by three and four-year-olds by parliamentary constituency—Sefton Local Education Authority: Position in January 2004
		
			  3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
			 Parliamentary constituency Maintained nursery and primary schools2 Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers3 Total 3-year-olds Maintained nursery and primary schools4 Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers5 Total 4-year-olds 
		
		
			 Crosby 250 310 560 570 150 720 
			 Sefton LEA total 1,800 970 2,700 2,500 400 2,900 
		
	
	(9) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 or 100 as appropriate.
	(10) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(11) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(12) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(13) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census and the Annual Schools' Census.
	Changes in pupil figures may arise from changes to the underlying population in the local education authority area and other factors. However, my Department doesn't publish population figures for individual age cohorts at sub-national level because of the unreliability of the underlying population estimates. The Office for National Statistics publish sub-national population estimates in five-year age bands.

Private Children's Homes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many private children's homes have been registered in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: pursuant to the reply, 27 January 2005, Official Report, c. 506W
	It has come to my attention that the information provided by the Commission for Social Care Inspection for this answer was incorrect due to a clerical error. I am advised by the commission that the number of private children's homes registered in 2002/03, 2003/04 and 2004/05 (up to 19 January 2005) was 169, 276 and 187 respectively.

Private Children's Homes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many private children's homes have been de-registered (a) due to voluntary closure and (b) under direction from her inspectors in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: pursuant to the reply, 27 January 2005, Official Report, c. 506W
	It has come to my attention that some of the information provided by the Commission for Social Care Inspection for this answer was incorrect due to a clerical error. I am advised by the commission that the number of private children's homes de- registered in 2002/03 was 87.

Private Children's Homes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many private children's homes have been registered to operate in each of the last eight years; and how many have closed during that time.

Margaret Hodge: Information provided by the Commission for Social Care Inspection, who took over the role of the National Care Standards Commission from 1 April 2004, on the number of registered and de-registered private children's homes for the last three years is shown in the following table.
	Information is not available prior to 1 April 2002, the date when the National Care Standards Commission was created.
	
		
			 Private children's homes 2002/03 2003/04 2004/05(14) 
		
		
			 Registered 169 276 199 
			 De-registered(15) 87 156 131 
		
	
	(14) As at 7 March 2005
	(15) De-registrations occur for a number of reasons, including:
	voluntary closure of a home
	enforced closure resulting from regulatory action
	change of ownership
	change in the category of service provided.

School Discipline

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what advice she gives to teachers regarding the extent to which teachers can raise their voice when disciplining a pupil; and if she will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

School Funding

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much public funding has been spent on repairing schools in Coventry in each year since 1997.

Stephen Twigg: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

School Kitchens

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many school kitchens have been (a) closed and (b) converted to other uses since May 1997; and whether the new resources announced on 30 March for improving school meals includes funding available to re-open closed kitchens.

Derek Twigg: Information on the closure or conversion of school kitchens should be held locally; and we do not collect it centrally. The £280 million announced on 30 March is revenue funding to transform the quality of school meals in England and set up the new School Food Trust. We have already announced substantial capital investment most of which can be used to improve kitchen and dining facilities of English schools.
	
		£ million
		
			 Financial year Schools capital investment 
		
		
			 2005–06 5,515 
			 2006–07 5,770 
			 2007–08 6,280

School Meals

Richard Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether the £280 million pledged by the Government to improve school meals is new money in addition to funds already allocated to local education authorities.

Derek Twigg: The money to improve school meals has come from the Department's reserve. It is therefore new money over and above existing allocations to local education authorities.

School Meals

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans she has to assist schools which do not provide hot dinners to do so; and if she will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: On 30 March, the Secretary of State announced that schools would receive additional funding to help them transform the quality of school meals. Over the next three years, all maintained schools in England will receive a share of the 220m set aside to help local education authorities and schools strengthen their support for healthy eating and to provide better quality food.
	An expert panel has been convened to recommend revisions to current minimum school lunch nutritional standards. The panel has been asked to strongly consider the use of nutrient-based standards, whether any individual foodstuffs should be banned and the benefits of hot school lunches.
	In addition, DfES officials are considering the work that would need to be done to reintroduce hot meals into all schools. This is a complex issue and we will need to work with schools, local education authorities and others to ensure that an appropriate
	long-term strategy is developed.

School Uniforms (Vouchers)

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action the Department is proposing in connection with the use of clothing vouchers for social security recipient purchasers of school uniforms.

Derek Twigg: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

Students

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures she takes to ensure that students are treated without discrimination; and if she will make a statement.

Kim Howells: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

Students

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations she has received concerning (a) the compliance of student unions at UK universities with Race Relations Amendment Act 2000 and (b) direct intervention by university authorities in the affairs of student unions.

Kim Howells: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

Sure Start

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what Sure Start activities are undertaken in Crosby constituency.

Margaret Hodge: The Sure Start local programme in Seaforth and Bootle was approved in 2001 to provide services to 700 children under four and their families in the wards of Church and Linacre. The Neighbourhood Nursery attached to this local programme, is located in the Linacre ward and opened in June 2004 delivering 62 additional child care places to families living in the area.
	The local programme delivers a range of services for families and parents within the area, including
	Outreach and home visiting; support for families and parents;
	Play, learn and child care facilities
	Primary and community health care.
	The combined expertise within the team members covers all aspect of health, education, parenting skills, practical and emotional support and social care from ante-natal stage to nursery education.
	Seaforth and Bootle local programme has established a mobile toy library and the early years workers provide practical support around early learning and play.
	The proportion of parents expressing no concerns about the extent of their children's language development increased from 77 per cent. in 200102 to 79 per cent. in 200304.
	The community midwife provides breast feeding support sessions at birth, six weeks and 17 weeks. The rate of take up of these sessions has gone up from 34.4 per cent. in 200203 to 37.9 per cent. in 200304 at birth; 8 per cent. to 13.9 per cent. at six weeks and 4 per cent. to 8.6 per cent. at 17 weeks.
	The number of women supported by post-natal depression group increased from 13 in 200203 to 30 women in 200304.
	The programme funding for the current and future years is as follows:
	
		
			  Programme name: Seaforth and Bootle () 
		
		
			 Capital  
			 Approved 825,211 
			   
			 Revenue  
			 200405 770,140 
			 200506 789,393 
			 200607 789,393 
		
	
	Sefton council have been allocated capital of 1,954,031 and revenue of 250,000 for 200405 and 323,432 for 200506, and are planning to open seven Children's centre by March 2006.

Sure Start

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many parents and children in York have been supported by the Sure Start programme in Clifton and Westfield.

Margaret Hodge: The York Sure Start local programme serves 355 families with a total of 598 children under the age of four. 679 parents are currently registered with the programme and an average of 166 children are seen every month, 16 per cent. of whom are accessing services for the first time.
	To date the programme has had access to 1,075,000 in capital funding and 1,383,860 in revenue funding and can expect a further 1,171,420 in revenue funding over the next two years (200506 to 200607). Services delivered include outreach visiting, high quality play experiences for children and parents, breast feeding and smoking reduction support, family learning and employment opportunities, and access to child care and early education. The programme is also working in partnership with the local authority's early years team and The Gatsby Foundation to explore ways of ensuring that children are supported in their development of speech and language.
	Two new integrated children's centres are currently being developed at Hob Moor school and Clifton Green school. These will further extend Sure Start services to families with children under five living in the programme's catchment area. The local authority has also received 1,330,718 of revenue and 1,689,450 of capital funding to create eight further children's centres between 2006 and 2008.

Teachers (Life Expectancy)

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on her Department's estimate of the life expectancy of teachers.

Stephen Twigg: An individuals total life expectancy is defined as their current age plus their life expectancy from the current age. For a group of individuals of the same age, total life expectancy increases with age attained because those dying at earlier ages are excluded from the group. Thus, an individual's life expectancy at birth is very different to their total life expectancy at later ages.
	As part of the demographic assumptions associated with the periodic valuations of the Teachers' Pension Scheme, the Government Actuary takes into account the life expectancy of teachers following their retirement. In the latest valuation report at 31 March 2001 the assumed life expectancy of teachers in normal health at age 60 was 26 years for men and 29 years for women. At age 65, assumed life expectancy would be about five years less than at age 60. The Government Actuary will be taking account of any subsequent improvements in life expectancy as part of the current valuation of the scheme.

Teachers' Pensions

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if she will make a statement on the treatment of additional voluntary contributions within the proposed changes to teachers' pensions.

Stephen Twigg: We are committed to the continued provision of arrangements within the Teachers' Pension Scheme (TPS) that would enable teachers to pay additional contributions for a higher level of pension benefits. We are looking at how the TPS could provide new opportunities for paying additional contributions that are flexible, appropriate for a public service pension scheme and provide teachers with increased choice and options. We are also considering what increased flexibilities could be introduced into the existing in-house additional voluntary contribution (AVC) arrangements to take advantage of the new tax regime from April 2006.

Truancy

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils played truant in England in each year since 1997 (a) in total and (b) broken down by local education authority; and if she will make a statement.

Derek Twigg: It has not proved possible to respond in the time available before Prorogation.

Woodcraft Folk

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much financial assistance her Department provided to the Woodcraft Folk in each of the last 10 financial years for which figures are available; if she will make in 200506 a grant to the Woodcraft Folk equivalent to that made in 200405; and if she will make a statement.

Margaret Hodge: The Woodcraft Folk have received the following funding since 1997, the earliest date for which figures are available:
	
		
			  Amount () 
		
		
			 199798 39,100 
			 199899 33,000 
			 19992000 38,000 
			 200001 38,000 
			 200102 38,000 
			 200203 52,281 
			 200304 52,281 
			 200405 52,281 
			 Total 342,943 
		
	
	Source:
	NVYO Grant Scheme
	The Woodcraft Folk submitted a bid for funding under the National Voluntary Youth Organisation Grant scheme due to run from 2005 to 2008. This scheme was run as an open competition. Participation on previous schemes was not one of the criteria used to determine funding. The bid was assessed against criteria made explicit in both the application and guidance notes for the scheme.
	The key reasons the Woodcraft Folk's bid was unsuccessful was that, in comparison with other bids, it did not provide the level of detail to enable the Department to determine either how the proposed activities would deliver the outcomes specified or how the outcomes specifically linked with the Every Child Matters agenda.
	It is important to emphasise that even though the Woodcraft Folk's bid for funding under the National Voluntary Youth Organisation grant scheme was unsuccessful, this is no reflection on the work it does to promote the well-being of children and young people and their participation in society.
	The scheme was open to all national voluntary sector organisations engaged in youth work and who met specific criteria and not just those on the existing scheme. We received 160 bids from a variety of national voluntary organisations which totalled over 44 million for the length of the scheme. As the grant scheme was allocated 21 million over three years we were unable to fund everyone who applied. We assessed all of the bids and awarded grants to those organisations which clearly demonstrated the outcomes and quality the scheme required to an agreed standard.
	I met the Woodcraft Folk on the 4 April to discuss their work. As a result of that meeting we agreed to second a member of DfES staff to the Woodcraft Folk for 12 months. We hope that that member of staff will be able to support the central organisation by helping it to look for new ways of diversifying the funding streams that it receives so that it secures long-term funding.

Woodcraft Folk

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for what reasons the Department rejected the grant application from the Woodcraft Folk.

Margaret Hodge: The criteria by which all decisions about funding under the National Voluntary Youth Organisation (NVYO) grant scheme were made were explicit in both the application forms and guidance notes, to assist organisations through the application process.
	The guidance notes clearly stated that applications should make a strong contribution to the achievement of the outcomes for young people set out in Every Child Matters.
	Paragraph 13.2 of the application guidance states clearly that the Department would look for bids that:
	were clearly focused on the outcomes identified in the guidance
	were for activities in line with those identified in the grant criteria
	identified clear and robust outcome indicators that were relevant to the outcomes the bid proposes to deliver
	clearly explained the national significance of the activity being proposed
	were realistic and deliverable
	The Woodcraft Folk's bid for funding was unsuccessful because, when compared with other applications, it did not provide the level of detail to enable the Department to determine how the proposed activities would deliver the outcomes that were specified in the criteria. It was also not sufficiently clear, in comparison with other bids, how Woodcraft Folk's outcomes specifically linked with the Every Child Matters agenda.
	It is important to emphasise that even though the Woodcraft Folk's bid for funding under the National Voluntary Youth Organisation grant scheme was unsuccessful, this is no reflection on the work it does to promote the well-being of children and young people and their participation in society.
	The scheme was open to all national voluntary sector organisations engaged in youth work and who met specific criteria and not just those on the existing scheme. We received 160 bids from a variety of national voluntary organisations which totalled over 44 million for the length of the scheme. As the grant scheme had been allocated 21 million for the three years we were unable to fund everyone who applied. We assessed all of the bids and awarded grants to those organisations which clearly demonstrated the outcomes and quality the scheme required to an agreed standard.
	I met the Woodcraft Folk on the 4 April to discuss their work. As a result of that meeting we agreed to second a member of DfES staff to the Woodcraft Folk for 12 months. We hope that that member of staff will be able to support the central organisation by helping it to look for new ways of diversifying the funding streams that it receives so that it secures long-term funding.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Civil Servants (Relocation)

John Thurso: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many civil servants in his Department have (a) been relocated and (b) been agreed for relocation in the last 12 months; and to which areas of the United Kingdom.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) 103 posts have already been relocated to the areas set out as follows:
	
		
			 Location Number of posts moved 
		
		
			 Government Office for the north-east 4 
			 Government Office for the north-west 18 
			 Government Office for Yorkshire and Humberside 8 
			 Government Office for the West Midlands 5 
			 Government Office for the East Midlands 18 
			 Government Office for the East 18 
			 Government Office for the south-east 4 
			 Government Office for the south-west 7 
			 Government Office for London 8 
			 Hastings 2 
			 Hemel Hempstead 4 
			 Glossop 7 
			 Total number of posts moved 103 
		
	
	(b) The Office of Deputy Prime Minister is expected to relocate 240 posts by 2010.

Communities Plan

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much of the Communities Plan budget has been allocated to (a) the Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside and (c) the north east.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not hold separate expenditure data on (a) the Jarrow constituency.
	Expenditure and planned spending on programmes within the Communities Plan for (b) South Tyneside and (c) the north east are set out in the following table. The figures for 200607 and 200708 exclude programmes for which spending plans have still to be finalised.
	
		 million
		
			  (b) South Tyneside (c) The North East 
		
		
			 200304 19.310 592.187 
			 200405 21.254 613.844 
			 200506 21.238 676.354 
			 200607 (16) 555.157 
			 200708 (16) 572.882 
			 Total 61.802 3,010.424 
		
	
	(16) Not available. Budget allocations at district level are yet to be determined.

Council Tax

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average council tax charge was in (a) City of York, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England in (i) 200203 and (ii) each year since 200203; and what he expects the charge to be in 200506.

Nick Raynsford: The information requested is the following table.
	
		Average area Band D council taxes (two adults)
		
			  
			  200203 200304 200405 200506 
		
		
			 City of York 874 988 1,078 1,127 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 971 1,071 1,132 1,182 
			 England 976 1,102 1,167 1,214 
		
	
	Source:
	Budget requirement returns to ODPM and ODPM news releases.

Council Tax

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what the average council tax bill was in (a) Labour, (b) Liberal Democrat and (c) Conservative-led local authorities in Yorkshire and the Humber in 200405.

Nick Raynsford: The average council tax bill by individual local authority in Yorkshire and the Humber in 200405 is in the following table. Definitive information on political control is not held centrally:
	
		200405 average area Band D council taxes (two adults)
		
			  
			 West Yorkshire  
		
		
			 Bradford 1,061 
			 Calderdale 1,181 
			 Kirklees 1,134 
			 Leeds 1,040 
			 Wakefield 1,048 
			   
			 South Yorkshire  
			 Barnsley 1,104 
			 Doncaster 1,094 
			 Rotherham 1,143 
			 Sheffield 1,216 
			   
			 North Yorkshire  
			 Craven 1,199 
			 Hambleton 1,128 
			 Harrogate 1,224 
			 Richmondshire 1,219 
			 Ryedale 1,215 
			 Scarborough 1,222 
			 Selby 1,207 
			   
			 Shire Unitary Authorities  
			 East Riding of Yorkshire UA 1,183 
			 Kingston-upon-Hull UA 1,094 
			 North East Lincolnshire UA 1,265 
			 North Lincolnshire UA 1,237 
			 York UA 1,078 
		
	
	Source:
	Budget requirement returns to ODPM and ODPM news releases.

Council Tax

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the likely impact of council tax revaluation on average council tax bills in real terms in (a) City of York, (b) Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) England; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Raynsford: The distribution of dwellings to bands after revaluation will depend on property values as at 1 April 2005 and on decisions yet to be taken on the number and values of council tax bands. The report of the independent inquiry into local government funding by Sir Michael Lyons will inform the Government's decisions on council tax bands. This report is due to be submitted by the end of this year to my right hon. Friends the Deputy Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. The Government have already made clear that the revaluation should not lead to a change in the overall council tax yield and consequently most council tax payers are unlikely to face an increase (or decrease) in their council tax bill as a result of revaluation. There will be a transitional relief scheme to help taxpayers whose properties move to a higher band. Council tax benefit will continue to be available to help those on low incomes with their council tax payments.

Council Tax

Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make it his policy to exempt members of HM armed forces from council tax for periods when they are posted on duties overseas.

Nick Raynsford: Officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister are currently exploring with Officials in the Ministry of Defence whether there is a case for a council tax exemption or discount for service personnel serving abroad.

Deregulation

John Redwood: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many EU (a) regulations and (b) directives covering matters within the responsibility of his Department have been repealed since 1 April 2004.

Yvette Cooper: The information requested is not held centrally in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister, but by the management units responsible for the policy areas concerned. It could be assembled only at disproportionate cost.

Fire Control

Mark Todd: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will publish the risk assessment conducted on the proposal to regionalise emergency fire control; and what steps he is taking to ensure that those engaged in providing services (a) contribute to the design of new systems and (b) maintain services during transition.

Nick Raynsford: The Mott MacDonald report The Future of Fire Service Control Rooms and Communications in England and Wales which was published in 2000 with an update in 2003, undertook a cost/benefit risk analysis of the options for the provision of fire and rescue service control rooms and communications. The original report is available at:
	http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_fire/documents/page/odpm_fire_601055.pdf
	The 2003 update is available at:
	http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_fire/documents/page/odpm_fire_026180.pdf
	There are a number of control room and other fire and rescue service personnel seconded to the national project team, and a member of the Chief Fire Officers' Association is employed to work on the project full time. These have had, and will continue to have, significant input into the design of the accommodation, the specification for the control room systems and the development of processes and staffing models. We also have a wide programme of engagement with members of the service through regular national seminars, control staff workshops and other workstream-focussed working groups, which brings significant expertise to the project and ensures that the service has a voice to influence and guide progress.
	Maintenance of adequate staffing levels in control rooms during the transition period is the responsibility of individual fire and rescue authorities. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has provided guidance to authorities on methods of retention.

Gap Funding Agreements

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how much has been allocated by his Department for gap funding agreements;
	(2)  how his Department will evaluate the performance of registered social landlords in connection with provision of staged gap funding.
	(3)  how many gap funding agreements have been signed between his Department and registered social landlords.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has made 182 million available over the 2004 Spending Review period for gap funding agreements. One gap funding agreement has been signed to date between Shoreline Housing Partnership and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister. The agreement sets out a range of conditions to which the registered social landlord must adhere and requires that specific performance milestones are met to demonstrate eligibility for gap funding payments.

Housing (South-East)

John Redwood: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the environmental impact of the Government's proposed new housing for the South-East;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the impact on (a) road and (b) rail infrastructure of the new housing he proposes for the South-East;
	(3)  what proportion of the proposed new houses for the South-East he expects to be built on brownfield sites;
	(4)  what his estimate is of the cost of additional public facilities of all kinds to serve the people living in the additional houses he proposes for the South-East.

Keith Hill: These are all matters for the South East England Regional Assembly as part of their preparation of the draft South East Plan, upon which they are currently carrying out a public consultation.

Housing Market (Liverpool)

Louise Ellman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of housing market renewal in Liverpool.

Keith Hill: New Heartlands, the market renewal pathfinder for Merseyside is making good progress. It is on target for full spend and achievement of target outputs in 200405. But the programme is still in its early stages and it is too soon to assess in detail the impact of the programme on the Merseyside housing market.
	New Heartlands has an allocation of 34 million grant in 200506 and has been invited to update its strategy and make the case for future funding, including 65 million to 110 million for the two-year period from April 2006.

Litter

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the effects of the Best Value Performance Indicator on litter and detritus on local authorities' performance in this area.

Nick Raynsford: The Best Value Performance Indicator on litter and detritus (BV199) was introduced in April 2003. Data has been submitted by local authorities for 200304, and audited data for 200405 will not be received until at least August 2005. With only one year's performance data so far, it is too early to assess the effect on local authorities' performance.

Ministerial Visits

David Amess: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many official visits (a) he, (b) the Minister of State (Local and Regional Government), (c) the Minister of State (Regeneration and Regional Development) and (d) the Minister of State (Minister for Housing and Planning) have made since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Yvette Cooper: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established in May 2002. Since then we estimate that Ministers have undertaken the following number of official visits (including speaking engagements):
	
		
			 Minister Number of official visits 
		
		
			 My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister 179 
			 The Minister of State for local and regional government and fire 119 
			 The Minister of State for regeneration and regional development 217 
			 The Minister of State for housing and planning (17)199 
		
	
	(17) Since June 2003 only. Figures for predecessor not held centrally.

National House Building Council

Bob Russell: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will arrange for an independent inquiry to be held into the building control and inspection procedures of the National House Building Council (NHBC); and if he will invite members of the public dissatisfied with the performance of the NHBC to give evidence.

Phil Hope: There is no evidence to suggest that there is a general problem with the building control inspection regime currently employed by the National House Building Council (NHBC). Consequently the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to call an independent inquiry. However, officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will continue to work closely with NHBC to resolve the isolated cases involving claims from new home buyers.

Traveller Sites

John Baron: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many decisions by him on a refusal by a local authority to give planning permission for a Traveller site were outstanding in each parliamentary constituency in the last year for which figures are available; and what percentage of decisions on Traveller sites made by the local authority this represented in each case;
	(2)  what percentage of planning permission applications for Traveller sites which were refused by local authorities in each of the last five years were awaiting a decision from him at each year end;
	(3)  how many and what percentage of Traveller sites applications which had been refused planning permission by local authorities were awaiting a decision from him in (a) the last year for which figures are available and (b) each of the preceding four years.

Yvette Cooper: There is an ongoing flow of planning appeals resulting from Local Planning Authorities' refusal of an application for planning permission involving Traveller sites. Both the Planning Inspectorate and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister seek to ensure that these are determined in a timely manner. Information on the number of planning appeals decided and the number that were in the process of being determined at the end of each of the last four financial years, broken down by local authority, has been made available in the Library of the House. This information includes planning appeals determined by Planning Inspectors on behalf of the First Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister and those recovered for determination by the First Secretary of State, my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister. It is not possible to present the information by parliamentary constituency. We do not collect information centrally on the total number of decisions made by Local Planning Authorities.

MINISTER FOR WOMEN

Working Time Directive

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Minister for Women what assessment she has made of the impact of the Working Time Directive on women.

Jacqui Smith: All workers, including 12.2 million working women, benefit from rights under the Working Time Directive. This provides, among other things, that workers cannot be forced to work more than 48-hours a week on average; are entitled to paid annual leave; and rights to daily and weekly rest breaks.

Equal Pay

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Minister for Women what the Government's policy is on reducing the gap between the average income of single men and single women aged over 65.

Jacqui Smith: We have introduced a number of measures to support today's female pensioners in retirement such as pension credit and winter fuel allowances. As a result, 1.9 million pensioners have been lifted out of abject poverty since 1997, two-thirds of them women.
	We will produce a report on the pension position of women later this year, which will address all the issues currently faced by women in building up their retirement income.

Equal Opportunities (Research)

Peter Luff: To ask the Minister for Women what academic research she has commissioned on barriers to equality of opportunity for women.

Patricia Hewitt: I have commissioned various research projects which explore barriers of equality of opportunity for women in work and training. These examine:
	young people's perceptions of jobs and training;
	the ways in which women re-enter the labour market after periods of inactivity;
	the skills profile of women returners, particularly whether skills are a barrier to them returning to the labour market.

Freedom of Information

John Mann: To ask the Minister for Women what categories of information are available under Freedom of Information legislation that have not been provided in written parliamentary answers by her office in the last three years.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Women's Employment

Vera Baird: To ask the Minister for Women what assessment she has made of the way in which women from (a) ethnic minority groups and (b) faith groups have been affected by Government policy aimed at increasing labour market participation of (i) women and (ii) mothers.

Patricia Hewitt: The Women and Work Commission, which was launched in September 2004, to examine the pay and opportunities gap, has taken evidence from minority ethnic women as part of its information gathering exercise and will report to the Prime Minister by September 2005.
	The Government are committed to supporting women who want to return to work after having children. The DTI is conducting research into the way women re-enter the labour market after taking time out to bring up their children.
	We have commissioned, and published in January 2004, research which examined the child care preferences of different groups of mothers and the impact that the accessibility, affordability and quality of child care has on their employment decisions. These findings were discussed at my regular bi-annual meetings with Muslim women.
	The regional development agencies in London, the East Midlands and the South East are developing pilot programmes to support women considering returning to work, through offering careers advice, access to training, confidence building, work placements and child care. The results of these pilot schemes will help us to inform the development further support for women, wanting to return to work.
	All this work includes an assessment of the particular position of women from different minority and faith communities.

Women's Employment

Vera Baird: To ask the Minister for Women what research her Department has commissioned on (a) entry to and (b) progression of black and ethnic minority women in the workplace.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Women's Employment

Vera Baird: To ask the Minister for Women what assessment she has made of the role of Government Departments and agencies in delivering a targeted system of support to black and ethnic minority women in the workplace.

Patricia Hewitt: Although no formal assessment has been made of the role of Government Departments and agencies in delivering a targeted system of support to black and ethnic minority women in the workplace, the Government are committed to developing policies and services delivery to meet the needs of all groups, including black and ethnic minority women.
	Indeed, the proposal to introduce a public sector duty to promote gender equality combined with the existing public sector duty on race will enable us to improve our knowledge. This will be strengthened by the introduction of a the Commission for Equality and Human Rights which will be able to look at the impact on individuals of more than one form of discrimination.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

India

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on bilateral trade relations with India.

Douglas Alexander: Our bilateral trade relationship with India has never been better. In 2004, bilateral trade in goods was worth around 4.6 billion, an increase of over 3 per cent. compared to 2003. Total bilateral trade in goods and services is expected to reach over 6 billion. The UK is India's 3rd largest trade partner, while India is our second largest export market in the developing world, and our 15th largest export market worldwide.
	This is good news, but there is still plenty of room for improvement. The joint Economic and Trade Committee, launched in January by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and India's Commerce Minister, will help us identify opportunities for even greater growth in our trade and investment relationship.

Manufacturing

Richard Page: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the ratio was of officials employed in her Department to people employed in manufacturing in the UK in (a) 1998 and (b) 2004.

Nigel Griffiths: The DTI headcount as a proportion of those employed in the manufacturing sector was 0.14 per cent. in 1998 and 0.2 per cent. in 2004. But the DTI's remit covers the whole economy, and as a proportion of total employment the DTI's share remains broadly unchanged at 0.02 per cent. This is despite taking on additional responsibilities and meeting increased demand for our services.

Accidents

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many accidents occurred at her departmental premises in each of the last five years involving (a) members of her Department's staff and (b) members of the public.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Airports (Car Parking)

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will invite the Competition Commission to investigate the level of car parking charges in force at airports in the UK.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 4 April 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Alvis plc

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action is being taken to prosecute Alvis plc. for the 16.5 million payment made to Siti Hardiyanti (Futut) Rukmana in order to secure the contract from the Indonesian Government to supply Scorpion armoured fighting vehicles; and if she will make a full statement.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Anti-bribery/Corruption

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the impact on business opportunities of possible business uncertainty over Export Credits Guarantee Department anti-bribery guidelines.

Douglas Alexander: ECGD's anti-bribery and corruption procedures introduced in December 2004 remain in force while public consultation on them, which is currently under way and will run until 18 June 2005, is conducted. The December 2004 procedures were put in place having taken account of concerns about the workability of those previously introduced in May 2004 expressed by ECGD's principal customers and their banks.
	Copies of the consultation document are available on ECGD's website www.ecgd.gov.uk

Anti-bribery/Corruption

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list (a) the companies, (b) the projects and (c) the countries involved in the seven transactions supported by the Export Credits Guarantee Department under its May 2004 anti-corruption procedures.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 3 March 2004
	The Export Credits Guarantee Department (ECGD) supported 10 transactions in respect of five companies under its May 2004 anti-corruption procedures. In my evidence to the Trade and Industry Committee on 23 February 2005 I referred to the seven such companies based on factually incorrect briefing. I wrote to the Committee chair to correct the evidence on 11 March 2005. Of these transactions, nine relate to insurance provided by ECGD. It is ECGD's policy not to disclose details of insurance it provides, or the fact of having provided insurance, where it considers the disclosure of such information might increase the likelihood of default by the bodies whose payment obligations ECGD is insuring. This is because, the commercial interests of ECGD and the U.K economy would be prejudiced by a default. Pursuant to that policy the nine insurance cases referred to have not been publicised.
	ECGD supported one non-insurance case in the relevant period for Alderley Systems Ltd. in respect of the supply of product loading meters for ships to Iran.

Arms Sales (China)

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effects of the UK position on lifting the EU embargo on arms sales to China on (a) the UK balance of trade with the USA and (b) the UK arms industry.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Bankruptcies (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many (a) personal and (b) company bankruptcies in (i) Greater London and (ii) each London borough there were in each of the last three years for which figures are available; what assessment she has made of recent trends; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not-proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Beer

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had since 2002 with (a) the Campaign for Real Ale and (b) other stakeholders on beer drinkers receiving a full pint on licensed premises; and what steps are being taken to encourage a consensus among stakeholders.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Beer

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when her Department expects to announce the outcome of its consultations on the full pint of beer.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Broadband

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the cost to public funds of extending broadband to every home in the UK.

Mike O'Brien: The Government's approach to ensure they meet their target of having the most extensive and competitive broadband market in the G7 by 2005, has focused on stimulating competition in the marketplace, in preference to subsidising individual companies to roll out broadband services.
	In November 2003 my hon. Friend the Member for East Ham, the then Minister for E-Commerce called on all stakeholders to bring broadband availability to all communities in Britain by the end of 2005. BT's 2004 announcement to upgrade their telephone exchanges means that by this summer, over 99 per cent. of all homes and businesses in the UK will be able to receive broadband on their network alone.
	To ensure that as many people and businesses as possible are able to access broadband services, the Government provided 30 million through the UK Broadband Fund to stimulate supply and demand in rural areas. This funding was distributed through the Regional Development Agencies and devolved administrations and helped to develop innovative broadband related schemes to meet local requirements. In addition to this amount, RDA's and devolved administrations have contributed in excess of 200 million in promoting coverage and take-up of broadband.

Burma

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the discussions which she has had with representatives of British holiday companies regarding the promotion of tours in Burma; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Business Prosecutions

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many prosecutions of (a) small and medium-sized enterprises and (b) large businesses were brought in 200304 for breaches of regulations sponsored by her Department; how much in total was imposed in fines in each case; and how many visits were made in 200304 by officials from her Department or agencies for which her Department is responsible to verify regulatory compliance in each case.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Gentleman in the time available before Prorogation.

Businesses

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses went into receivership in each of the past 17 years, broken down by region.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 4 March 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Businesses

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses have registered for VAT in Tamworth in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Gentleman in the time available before Prorogation.

Carbon Monoxide

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will introduce a levy on gas supply companies to be used for publicity and research on preventing carbon monoxide poisoning.

Chris Pond: I have been asked to reply.
	We have no proposals for introducing a statutory levy. The Health and Safety Executive is working with the major gas supply companies on voluntary funding for a gas safety publicity strategy that includes the dangers of carbon monoxide poisoning. Agreement has been reached with the Energy Retail Association (representing the six largest suppliers) and the first campaigns commenced winter 200405.

Carbon Monoxide

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will instruct gas emergency services to carry and use equipment to test for and detect carbon monoxide.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	There are legal duties under gas safety legislation that require gas emergency service providers to attend and make safe appliances that are suspected of spilling combustion products such as carbon monoxide. It is for the service providers to determine the equipment they need to carry out this duty.

Cash Machines

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what discussions her Department has had with (a) the LINK network, (b) high street banks and (c) cash machine operators on charges for use of cash machines;
	(2)  what action her Department has taken to ensure (a) transparency and (b) fairness in charges for ATM withdrawals.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Charter of Fundamental Rights

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the applicability of the Charter of Fundamental Rights to the provision of services of general interest.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 7 December 2004
	No detailed assessment has been made of the applicability of the Charter of Fundamental Rights to the provision of services of general interest. The Charter would only be applicable to member state action if the member state were implementing union law. The proposed constitutional treaty makes plain that the Charter does not extend the field of application of union law, create new powers or tasks for the union or modify existing powers or tasks.

Chile

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list all contacts that have taken place between officials of her Department and General Augustus Pinochet concerning arms contracts since 1990.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Civil Servants (Relocation)

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many civil servants in her Department have (a) been relocated and (b) been agreed for relocation in the last 12 months; and to which areas of the United Kingdom.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Gentleman in the time available before Prorogation.

Coal Industry Pension Schemes

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what payments have been made to the guarantor of the Miners' Pension Scheme and the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme for each of the last 10 years, broken down by (a) surplus payments and (b) payments from the investment reserves; and how much is due to be paid to the guarantor in April in each case.

Nigel Griffiths: The figures are published in the annual report and accounts of both the Mineworkers Pension Scheme (MPS) and the British Coal Staff Superannuation Scheme (BCSSS), copies of which are available from the trustee company.
	Since the Guaranteed funds have been in deficit recently it has been necessary to make transfers into those funds of 355 million in September 2003 in the case of the MPS and 220 million in the case of the BCSSS in March 204. This reflects the agreement of the Government to guarantee the pension payments, should the funds be in deficit.

Construction Skills

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what payments have been made by the Construction Industry Training Board on behalf of the Construction Skills Scheme to companies who participated in the Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) between 2001 and 2004; how many companies participated in the scheme; how many new entrants were encouraged to join the CSCS as a result; and how many new jobs were created by the initiative.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 2 March 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Department for Trade and Industry will reply to Mr. Brian Worrall of Bestwood, Nottingham as promised by her Office in the letter dated 7 October 2004 from Mr. John Saunders.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Banff and Buchan dated 17 February regarding the Support for Exhibitions and Seminars Abroad Scheme.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall, North of 10 March concerning a constituent.

Mike O'Brien: I have made inquiries and it appears the letter for my hon. Friend has been mislaid by officials.
	I am grateful to my hon. Friend for providing a copy of the letter which I will reply to within days.

Data Protection Fraud

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects the Office of Fair Trading to report on its investigation into the financial activities of bogus data protection agencies.

Gerry Sutcliffe: This is a matter for the Office of Fair Trading (OFT).
	The OFT can take action under the Control of Misleading Advertisements Regulations 1988, to prevent the continued publication of misleading advertising. However, under the Regulations, the OFT is not empowered to investigate the financial activities of businesses or individuals. It can only take action to protect consumers and traders from the effects of advertisements that mislead or make unacceptable comparisons.
	I understand that you are already aware that the OFT has taken enforcement action under the Regulations against several businesses and individuals concerned with the publication of misleading mailings offering data protection notification services. Due to strict disclosure restrictions under Part 9 of the Enterprise Act 2002, the OFT is unable to comment on the details of any ongoing investigations. However, the OFT does publicise on its website and in the press any undertakings that it has obtained or court action it has taken under the Regulations when such action is completed.

Departmental Accounts

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether Ministers in her Department have issued written instructions to override her Department's accounting officer's objections since 1997.

Patricia Hewitt: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 14 March 2005, Official Report, column 80W, by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury.

Departmental Policies

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Burnley constituency, the effects on Burnley of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Policies

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out, with statistical information relating as closely as possible to the constituency, the effect of her actions and policies on Blackpool, South constituency since (a) 1997 and (b) 2001.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Policies

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out, with statistical information relating as closely as possible to the constituency, the effect of her Department's actions and policies on Blackpool, South constituency since (a) 1997 and (b) 2001.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Policies

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out, with statistical information relating as closely as possible to the constituency, the effect on Chorley constituency of her policies and actions since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Policies

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Clwyd South constituency, the effect on the constituency of policies pursued by her Department at the Council of Ministers; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Policies

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Clwyd, South constituency, the effects on Clwyd, South of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Policies

Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency, the effects on Westmorland and Lonsdale of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to my right hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Policies

Brian Sedgemore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Epsom and Ewell constituency, the effects on Epsom and Ewell of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Policies

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Pendle constituency, the effects on Pendle of her Department's policies and activities since 2 May 1997.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Policies

Jackie Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Preseli, Pembrokeshire constituency, the effects on Preseli, Pembrokeshire of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Policies

Lorna Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out, with statistical information relating as closely as possible to the constituency, the effects on Rochdale constituency of her policies and actions since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Policies

Brian Sedgemore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to West Dorset constituency, the effects on West Dorset of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Disability Discrimination

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact on small businesses of the uncertainties regarding the Disability Discrimination Act 2000 set out in the recent information campaign by the Department for Work and Pensions.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Gentleman in the time available before Prorogation.

Disability Discrimination

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many complaints relating to discrimination on the basis of (a) age, (b) gender, (c) race and (d) sexual preference were made against her Department in each year between 1997 and 2004, broken down by complaints by (i) full-time employees, (ii) part-time employees and (iii) job applicants; and what the outcome was in each case.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Gentleman in the time available before Prorogation.

Electronic Devices

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many electronic devices are owned by the Department, broken down by type.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

E-mail Access

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will estimate the proportion of the adult population in (a) the UK, (b) the South West and (c) South Gloucestershire who had domestic access to e-mail (i) in the latest year for which estimates are available and (ii) five years earlier.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 24 February 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Emigration Consultants

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to license emigration consultants and companies dealing with inquiries from would-be emigrants from the UK.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Employment Appeals Tribunal

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry in how many (a) industrial tribunal cases and (b) appeals to the Employment Appeals Tribunal since 1997, the band of reasonable responses test has been used as the test for deciding the fairness of a dismissal.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Employment Appeals Tribunal

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to review the working of the band of reasonable responses test in (a) industrial tribunal cases and (b) Employment Appeals Tribunal cases for deciding whether a dismissal was fair; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 8 March 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Energy Policy/Research

Alistair Carmichael: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the Government's hydrogen energy strategy will be published.

Mike O'Brien: Last year the DTI commissioned a study to develop a strategic framework for hydrogen energy activities in the UK. This was undertaken by E4tech, Element Energy and Eoin Lees Energy and was completed in December. A report of their analysis has been placed on the DTIs publications website at http://www.dti.gov.uk/energy/sepn/hydrogen_framework_full.pdf from which it can be downloaded. We will be considering the specific recommendations carefully, and will publish these, together with our response shortly.

Energy Policy/Research

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much and what percentage of public expenditure on energy research and development was spent on research and development for (a) nuclear fission, (b) nuclear fusion, (c) fossil fuel generation and (d) renewable energy sources in each year since 1997.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 4 April 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Energy Policy/Research

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much and what percentage of public expenditure on energy research and development for the financial year 200405 is planned to be spent on research and development for (a) nuclear fission, (b) nuclear fusion, (c) fossil fuel generation and (d) renewable energy sources.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 4 April 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Committee for implementation of multiannual framework programme for actions in the safety of nuclear installations in the countries participating in the Tacis programme met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the (i) Joint Committee with the countries of the European Free Trade Association (Iceland, Norway and Switzerland), (ii) Joint Committee on the Agreement concerning products of the clock and watch industry between the EEC and Switzerland and (iii) Joint Committee on the Agreement between Switzerland and the EEC on the processing traffic in textiles met; when and where each meeting took place; what UK Government expert was present at each meeting; and if she will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the State for Trade and Industry how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Advisory Committee on Restrictive Practices and Dominant Positions met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Advisory Committee on Restrictive Practices and Dominant Positions is the body through which the European Commission carries out its duty to consult member states on decisions under, and amendments to, EC competition law which it proposes to adopt.
	Between 1 July 2003 and 31 December 2004, the Advisory Committee met 32 times in Brussels to discuss proposed Commission antitrust decisions: in all, 29draft decisions were discussed. The Office of Fair Trading represented the UK at all meetings, usually accompanied by a representative of a UK sectoral regulator if there was a sectoral interest. The decisions discussed included one against Microsoft for abuse of its dominant position and 12 cartel cases, including those involving copper plumbing tubes, sorbate food preservatives and carbon and graphite products.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Advisory Committee on Concentrations between Undertakings met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Advisory Committee on Protection Against Dumped Imports met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Committee (i) on Fees, Implementation Rules and the Procedure of the Boards of Appeal of the Office of Harmonisation in the Internal Market (Trademarks and Designs), (ii) for the Implementation of the Multiannual Community Programme to Stimulate the Establishment of the Information Society in Europe and (iii) on Electronic Signatures met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Committee on Fees, Implementation Rules and the Procedure of the Boards of Appeal Council Working Group on Intellectual Property met eight times during the period of Irish and Dutch presidency only. The dates of the meetings were: 2 February, 19 February, 18 March, 27 May, 25 June, 10 September, 13 October and 11 November 2004. All the meetings took place in Brussels and were attended by officials from the Patent Office. Details of the regulations discussed at these meetings can be viewed on the Patent Office website at www.patent.gov.uk.
	The Committee for the Implementation of the Multiannual Community Programme to Stimulate the Establishment of the Information Society in Europe met three times during the period of Irish and Dutch presidency only. The dates of the meetings were: 27 February, 26 March and 5 July 2004. All the meetings took place in Brussels and an Official from the UK's permanent representation attended the meetings on 26 March and 5 July, but there was no representation at 27 February 2004 meeting.
	The Committee on Electronic Signatures did not meet during the course of the three presidencies.

EU Constitution

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of whether the EU constitution will increase the powers of the EU over trade policy.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 7 December 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Gentleman in the time available before Prorogation.

EU Legislation

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what support her Department will give to the development of a working partnership between developers, investors and the commercial sector to encourage their compliance with EU legislation.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 23 February 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

European Data Regulation

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the nature of information (a) exchanged, (b) stored and (c) passed on to non-EU countries in connection with Regulation (EC) No 2006/2004 as identified in OJ L364 volume 47 of 9 December 2004; what right of access individuals will have to data on themselves; which agencies are expected to seek access to such data; and what the purpose is of this legislation.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

European Development Money

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if he will place in the Library a list of UK recipients of European Development Money funds since 1997, indicating in each case what (a) sums were received and (b) projects were supported.

Douglas Alexander: European money in respect of economic development is provided to UK recipients under European Structural Fund programmes which are supported by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF), the European Social Fund (ESF) and two smaller funds for agriculture (EAGGF) and fisheries (FIFG).
	The programmes are all multi-annual and some are multi-fund, and individual programmes are identified by objective. The table sets out allocations by region and objective for the last three years of the 199499 programming period and the first five years of the 200006 period.
	There are many thousands of individual projects supported by the funds, and details of expenditure on individual schemes could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		 million
		
			   Allocation 
			 Region Objective 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 North West 1 87 108 117 113 116 118 120 126 
			  2 88 100 103 83 80 77 73 76 
			   
			 South West 142 43 44 45 48 
			  2 8 9 18 23 17 17   
			  5b* 36 28 29  
			   
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 1100 102 104 106 111 
			  2 73 85 87 49 48 48 47 50 
			   
			 East Midlands 2 23 23 24 36 35 35 34 33 
			  5b* 9 9 9  
			   
			 West Midlands 2 15 102 106 84 82 80 77 82 
			  5b* 6 5 5  
			   
			 East of England 215 15 15 14 16 
			  5b* 7 8 8  
			  
			 North East 2 81 82 85 64 65 65 65 71 
			   
			 London 2 21 23 24 23 23 23 23 27 
			   
			 South East 2 4 4 4 4 4 4 3 3 
			   
			 Northern Uplands 5b* 16 14 14  
			   
			 Highlands and Islands 1 34 41 44  
			  1 Transitional54 46 38 29 32 
			   
			 Eastern Scotland 2 27 31 32 29 27 25 23 20 
			   
			 Western Scotland 2 61 71 73 52 49 47 44 40 
			   
			 South of Scotland 26 7 7 7 7 
			   
			 Borders 5b* 4 4 4  
			   
			 Dumfries and Galloway 5b* 5 6 6  
			   
			 Stirling and Upper Tayside 5b* 3 3 3  
			   
			 Grampian 5b* 4 5 5  
			   
			 Northern Ireland 1 171 163 176  
			  1 Transitional156 132 108 100 94 
			   
			 West Wales and the Valleys 1157 161 164 167 182 
			   
			 East Wales 214 13 12 12 11 
			   
			 Industrial South Wales 2 54 49 51  
			   
			 Rural Wales 5b* 20 24 24  
			   
			 Gibraltar 2 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 
			   
			 Great Britain 3 311 315 517  
			  4  28 137  
			   
			 England and Gibraltar 3349 357 364 388 391 
			   
			 Scotland 342 43 44 45 47 
			   
			 Wales 310 11 11 11 12

Ex-directory Numbers

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is planning to take to stop companies publishing ex-directory telephone numbers on the internet.

Mike O'Brien: Ex-directory customers' numbers are not given out to third parties by BT, nor are they printed in phone books. However, being ex-directory does not mean a customer will never see their telephone number on a website. For example, telemarketing companies use databases to contact people. These are generally compiled by customers unwittingly completing coupons for special offers, magazine and catalogue tear off slips and other promotional questionnaires and flyers but forgetting to fill in the non-disclosure box (if available).
	If it was proved that a telecoms company made public an ex-directory telephone number, the telecoms company would be in breach of the Data Protection Act and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) would take appropriate action.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps her Department took to consult business organisations regarding the introduction of new Export Credits Guarantee Department forms.

Douglas Alexander: ECGD held discussions with trade associations representing the views of exporters who use ECGD's services, led by the CBI, regarding the most recent changes to Export Credits Guarantee Department forms, implemented on 1 December 2004.

Exporters

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effects on exporters of the Support for Exhibitions and Seminars Abroad Scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Exporters

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many companies based in (a) Scotland and (b) the rest of the UK have received assistance under the Support for Exhibitions and Seminars Abroad Scheme in each year since 1997; and what the average payment was.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

External Suppliers

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many tenders were let by her Department to external suppliers in the financial year 200304; and what the value was.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Fast Patrol Vessel Defender

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2005, Official Report, columns 62829W, on the Fast Patrol Vessel Defender, to whom the vessel was sold; when the vessel was sold; for what amount the vessel was sold; and if she will place a copy of the marine surveyor's assessment in the Library.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Fireworks

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has held with the RSPCA on ways of restricting the (a) sale and (b) use of noisy fireworks; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: In developing the Fireworks Regulations 2004, which, among other things, places restrictions on the sale and use of noisy fireworks, officials met with animal welfare representatives, including the RSPCA. All animal welfare organisations were also consulted formally on the proposed measures during the summer of 2004.
	More recently, officials have met with the RSPCA to discuss the current noise levels of fireworks (as set out in the 2004 Regulations) and possible ways to achieve further reductions in sound levels.

Freedom of Information

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many inquiries have been made by members of the general public to her Department for information under Freedom of Information legislation since 1 January; and how many of these inquiries were responded to within 20 days.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Freedom of Information

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what categories of information are available under Freedom of Information legislation that have not been provided in written parliamentary answers by her Department in the last three years.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Freedom of Information

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what applications were made to her Department during January under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; what the cost was of discovery and distribution of the information requested; how many requests were answered within the statutory 20 days; and what reasons were given to those whose requests were rejected.

Patricia Hewitt: My Department received 147 applications under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 in January. No information is held centrally on the cost of dealing with these applications. 91 or 62 per cent. of the applications were answered within the statutory 20 days. 45 or 30 per cent. of the applications were refused in full or in part on the grounds of relevant exemptions provided for by the Act.

Freedom of Information

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is in respect of the publication (a) on the departmental website and (b) by placing copies in the Library of (i) all or (ii) a selection of the information disclosed in response to Freedom of Information requests since January.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Future for Nuclear Group

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she established the Future for Nuclear group in her Department; what resources have been allocated to the group; which (a) officials and (b) contributors from outside her Department have participated in the group; in what format she expects the group to report; and when.

Mike O'Brien: No such group has been formed.

Growth Areas (Funding)

Phil Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding her Department has earmarked for growth areas to ensure that they have the resources required to meet the demands of a growing population.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Handling Fees

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been paid to the Union of Democratic Miners in handling fees for coal health claims.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the results of the consultation on draft regulations to allow the NHS to re-coup costs under the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003; and what recent discussions she has had with the Department of Health about the effect that these proposals will have on (a) small businesses and (b) the cost of employers' liability insurance.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Higher Education (York)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much was allocated to higher education institutions in the City of York by research councils in 200304; and how much she estimates will be allocated in 200405.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Inspection and Enforcement Costs

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the annual cost of inspection and enforcement activities carried out by (a) her Department and (b) regulatory bodies and agencies sponsored by her Department was in (i) 199697 and (ii)200304.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Gentleman in the time available before Prorogation.

Maternity Leave/Pay

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 20 December 2004, Official Report, column 1380W, on maternity leave, if she will estimate the average length of time taken in paid maternity leave by those receiving (a) statutory maternity pay and (b) maternity allowance in (i) the latest year for which figures are available and (ii) each of the previous five years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Maternity Leave/Pay

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will estimate the change in average length of time taken in paid maternity leave by those receiving (a) statutory maternity pay and (b) maternity allowance since the changes implemented in April 2003; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Maternity Leave/Pay

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the annual (a) administrative and (b) policy cost of extending maternity pay to (i) nine and (ii) 12 months for (A) small and medium-sized enterprises and (B) large businesses.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Gentleman in the time available before Prorogation.

Medical Instruments

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list companies in the UK making medical instruments, broken down by percentage of market share.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Migrant Workers

John Pugh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will estimate the percentage of the migrant worker force who are employed by (a) employment agencies and (b) gangmasters.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Military Exports

Menzies Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what end-use monitoring agreements relating to the export of military products have been signed since December 2002 with (a) Angola, (b) Cameroon, (c) Eritrea, (d) Ethiopia, (e) Ghana, (f) Kenya, (g) Mozambique, (h) Sierra Leone, (i) Sudan, (j) Tanzania, (k) Uganda, (l) Zambia, (m) Bolivia (n) Guyana and (o) Republic of Yemen; and what end-use monitoring mechanisms are in place in each case.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 10 March 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Ministerial Engagements

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the ministerial engagements (a) out of London and (b) in London that she has cancelled since 1 January 2004.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

National Minimum Wage

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what penalties have been imposed on companies found paying their employees below the minimum wage.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

National Minimum Wage

Lorna Fitzsimons: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people have benefited from the minimum wage in Rochdale.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

National Minimum Wage

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many workers in Edinburgh, North and Leith have benefited from the national minimum wage.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

New Businesses

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses have been established in Coventry since 1997.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 24 March 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

New Businesses

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many new businesses have been created in the Huddersfield constituency since 1997; and how much support in (a) loans and (b) grants the Government have given to such businesses during that time.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Newcastle-under-Lyme

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much Newcastle-under-Lyme has received in European Objective 2 funding since 1997; and which projects have benefited from such funding.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 23 March 2005
	The total amount of grants offered to projects in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997 is 5,790,229.
	26 objective 2 projects have been funded in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997, including Crackley Community and Training Centre and High Carr Business Park;

Newspaper Registration Scheme

Brian Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions took place with the devolved Administrations prior to the ending of the newspaper registration scheme.

Gerry Sutcliffe: I am not aware of any discussions that took place between the Department and the devolved Administrations about the withdrawal of the newspaper registration service. The decision was an operational and commercial matter for Royal Mail.

Newspaper Registration Scheme

Brian Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost of the newspaper registration scheme was to the Royal Mail in each year since 2000; and what percentage of Royal Mail turnover in each year those figures represented.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The cost of the newspaper registration service and its cost as a percentage of turnover are commercial matters for Royal Mail. My officials have asked Royal Mail to issue a direct reply to the hon. Member.

Newspaper Registration Scheme

Brian Wilson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what consultations took place between the Royal Mail and her Department on the abolition of the newspaper registration scheme; and what representations she made as a result.

Gerry Sutcliffe: No consultations took place between Royal Mail and the Department about the withdrawal of the newspaper registration service. This was an operational and commercial matter for Royal Mail.

NIREX

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, if she will make a statement on the future structure of Nirex.

Mike O'Brien: Government have honoured their commitment, given in a statement by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 21 July 2004, to establish a new Company Limited by Guarantee (CLG) to hold the shares of Nirex and oversee its business operations. These new arrangements took effect on 1 April 2005 with the CLG being jointly owned by DTI and Defra.
	This CLG will, effectively, provide a means of placing Nirex assets and intellectual property into trust, whilst enabling it to continue with its important work that includes setting standards for the conditioning and packaging of radioactive waste, until the Government can take their decision on policy for the long-term management of the UK's higher activity radioactive waste, and the means of its delivery, in light of recommendations from the independent Committee on Radioactive Waste Management (CoRWM).
	These new arrangements achieve both of the Government's previously stated objectives, to make Nirex independent of industry and bring the company under greater Government control.

Nuclear Power/Security

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps are being taken in her Department to prepare for the construction of additional nuclear power generating capacity; and what discussions she has had with (a) Sir David King and (b) Mr. Geoffrey Norris on the subject.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 6 April 2005
	The Department's policy on nuclear power remains as set out in the 2003 Energy White Paper, Cm 5761.
	I have had discussions with both Sir David King and Geoffrey Norris on many aspects of energy policy in the last year.

Nuclear Power/Security

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the future costs of ensuring the secure status of (a) nuclear installations to the end of their decommissioning and (b) nuclear materials until they are no longer useable in a malevolent fashion; and what measures have been put in place to ensure such future security.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Nuclear Power/Security

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many potential threats as defined by the Nuclear Industries Security Regulations 2003 have occurred at each licensed nuclear installation since 1 January 2004.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Nuclear Waste

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her policy is on the import of spent nuclear fuel into the UK for disposal.

Mike O'Brien: It is not Government policy to import spent nuclear fuel into the UK for disposal.
	Since 1976, all new contracts entered into by BNFL for reprocessing spent nuclear fuel from overseas have contained options for BNFL to return the waste, along with the uranium and plutonium for recycling.
	Any new proposals will be subject to public consultation and will require the approval of the Secretary of State. In the event that such a proposal was received, the Government would assess that case on its merits, including under the terms of the Bergen declaration, considering the implications of increasing the current volume of fuel to be reprocessed through BNFL's Thermal Oxide Reprocessing Plant (THORP). Decisions would be taken in the best interests of the UK as a whole, in light of advice from the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA).

Office of Civil Nuclear Security

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry who is responsible for the work of the Office of Civil Nuclear Security in Wales; and whether the Office has field inspectors based solely in Wales.

Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry is responsible for nuclear security in the UK, and this is carried out on her behalf by the Director of Civil Nuclear Security. Office for Civil Nuclear Security inspectors are allocated responsibility for sites according to the security need: there are none dedicated solely to Wales.

Parliamentary Questions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the projects being undertaken by her Department in respect of which information cannot be given in answer to parliamentary questions as a result of commercial confidentiality.

Patricia Hewitt: A decision not to release information relating to any project as a result of commercial confidentiality is made on the basis of the specific request made in each parliamentary question.
	An assessment of commercial confidentiality may apply to a specific element within a project as well as to an entire project. It is, therefore, not possible to provide the information requested.

Parliamentary Questions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will answer the question, reference 202791, tabled for answer on 6 December 2004.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Parliamentary Questions

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will reply to question reference 210278, tabled for answer on 20 January.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Gentleman in the time available before Prorogation.

Patent Office

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the Patent Office is undertaking a consultation with business about the new intellectual property system she proposes that Office develops; and whether the resulting system development will be put out to tender.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 4 April 2005
	The Government have stressed the importance of an intellectual property system which continues to promote innovation. We remain committed to consulting fully with all interested parties, including business, on all developments to that system.

Photovoltaic Cells/Energy

Tony McWalter: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the case for continuing funding to companies who are developing photovoltaic cells; and if she will make a statement on the contribution which the photovoltaic industry can make to reduction in carbon emissions.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 21 March 2005
	DTI provides research funding to companies developing photovoltaic (PV) cells through the DTI Technology Programme. The overall research budget for emerging energy technologies is 20 million per annum.
	Funding for installation of the technology is through the PV Major Demonstration Programme and grants go to householders and public organisations, not direct to the companies installing the technology.
	The Renewables Innovation Review, published by DTI and The Carbon Trust in February 2004, recommended continued support for research and development into next generation PV technologies. The report stated that PV was not expected to be fully economic compared to retail price until post 2020; however next generation solutions could bring this forward.
	The Renewables Innovation Review estimated that the potential contribution of PV towards reducing carbon emissions was 3 Mt by 2050 (total contribution from renewable energy aspiration of 20 Mt).

Photovoltaic Cells/Energy

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry for what reasons the Government plans to phase out grant support for photovoltaic energy systems; and what further plans the Government have to (a) promote and (b) support PV development.

Mike O'Brien: The Government have no plans to phase out support for photovoltaics. The current capital grant programme, the major PV demonstration programme, is due to end in March 2006 and the Department will continue its support for PV through a low carbon buildings programme.
	The Renewable Innovation Review February 2004, recommended this more holistic approach to energy use in buildings incorporating both energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. The low carbon buildings programme is currently under development and there will be formal consultation on this later this year. The programme is expected to begin operating in 200607.

Post Office Closures

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations were received by (a) her Department, (b) Postwatch and (c) the Royal Mail from the hon. Member for South Dorset in (i) 2003 and (ii) 2004 regarding the proposed closure of seven sub-post offices in Weymouth.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Under the public consultation arrangements for sub-post office closure proposals as part of the urban reinvention programme, Members of Parliament and other interested parties were invited to make any representations concerning such proposals to Post Office Ltd. and Postwatch. The Department does not have details of representations about proposed urban reinvention programme proposals for South Dorset made to Post Office Ltd. or Postwatch, but I understand that, in the light of representations received, the proposed closure of Southhill sub-post office was permanently withdrawn from the programme.

Post Offices

Dave Watts: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on future ownership of the Post Office.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Post Offices

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on provision of post office services in Amington ward in Tamworth.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Provision of post office services is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). My officials have asked POL to issue a direct reply to the hon. Member.

Post Offices

Paul Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many post offices there were in Shrewsbury and Atcham in each year since 1997.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government do not hold this information. This is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. (POL). My officials have asked POL to issue a direct reply to the hon. Member.

Professional Fees

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much had been paid for professional fees in respect of coal health claims to the top 20 highest paid solicitor practices at the latest date for which figures are available.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Professional Fees

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been paid for solicitors to date for professional fees in respect of coal health claims.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Project Costs

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the 10 largest (a) research and development and (b) construction projects sponsored by her Department since 1997 that are yet to recoup outlay are; what the total cost to date is of each project; what the annual maintenance cost is of each; and what the estimated time is before outlay will be recovered.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Regional Bodies

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what regional (a) bodies, (b) institutions, (c) taskforces, (d) panels, (e) offices and (f) organisations the Government have established since May 1997 which are the responsibility of her Department.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Regional Development Agencies

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much in EU grants was distributed through regional development agencies in each of the last three years; and what the total amount distributed to (a) North Yorkshire and (b) South Yorkshire was in each year.

Douglas Alexander: According to the published accounts of the regional development agencies (RDAs), EU grants or funding received by the RDAs amounted to 25.9 million in 20023 and 112.5 million in 200304. Figures are not yet available for 200405.
	The amount distributed by Yorkshire Forward to North Yorkshire was 1.3 million in 200203 and 0.8 million 200304. As an objective one region with a large urban demographic eligible for regeneration funding, South Yorkshire received 3.5 million in 200203 and 17.3 million in 200304.

Renewables

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 18 March 2005, Official Report, column 482W, on renewables, what the reasons are for the difference between the figure given in the answer and the target figure quoted on the departmental website.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 4 April 2005
	The two figures differ in respect of coverage. The figure quoted on the Department's website relates to generation from all types of renewable plant and includes renewable sources that are not eligible for the Renewables Obligation (i.e. large hydroelectric plant and incineration of mixed wastes). The figure given in answer to the hon. Member's previous question on this subject, on 18 March 2005, Official Report, column 482W, concerns electricity supplied to final consumers (which is inevitably less than that generated) and was confined to sources eligible for the Renewables Obligation.
	All estimates are regularly revised in the light of updated energy projections and the latest information on progress of major renewable projects.

Research and Development

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) resource allocation and (b) competition deadlines for the Grants for Research and Development are for each region in 200506.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not-proved possible to respond to the hon. Gentleman in the time available before Prorogation.

Sellafield

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the occasions on which sections of uranium nuclear reactor fuel rods have been discovered outside the area where special nuclear materials are required to be held, with particular reference to Pelham House, Calderbridge.

Mike O'Brien: On 24 March 2000 the Environment Agency were notified of the discovery of a radioactive rod at Mormet Alloys in Tamworth. The Environment Agency reported that there was no indication of any hazard to members of the public and that no radioactive contamination had been found at the site. This rod would appear to have been one of two produced in the early 1960s by UKAEA Springfields (now BNFL) for engineering testing purposes. The rod was provided on loan to CA Parsons Ltd in Newcastle. This company was involved with construction consortia involved in the building of nuclear power stations. Because of the destruction of advice and delivery notes under the 30 year rule and the loss of the Parsons files it is impossible to establish if the rod was ever returned to Springfields by Parsons. The rod had been extensively damaged including the removal of both ends which would have had stamped identification numbers.
	The rod was taken to Winfrith (and subsequently NNC at Risley) for analysis and then to Springfields for storage.
	I understand from BNFL, British Energy and UKAEA that their current records show no other occasions on which sections of uranium nuclear reactor fuels rods have been discovered outside the areas where special nuclear materials are required to be held.

Skills Training Agency

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will assess progress made since 13 March 1989 in safeguarding pension arrangements for Skills Training Agency staff who transferred into the private sector.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 21 February 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Small Businesses

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry from which regulations the Small Business Service has pressed for an exemption for small businesses since 2000; and on which occasions an exemption was awarded.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Gentleman in the time available before Prorogation.

Small Businesses

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses in York have been helped by the Small Business Service since 1997.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Small Businesses

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry, what representations she has received from (a) industry and (b) trade associations in the past three months on her proposal to reduce support for small firms attending trade fairs and missions abroad.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Gentleman in the time available before Prorogation.

Small Businesses

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what representations she has received from small and medium-sized enterprises following changes to the Support for Exhibitions and Seminars Abroad scheme; and what response her Department will make to those representations.

Douglas Alexander: About 150 companies, mainly small and medium-sized enterprises, have made representations about the impact of proposed changes to the Support for Exhibitions and Seminars Abroad scheme (SESA). These proposals seek to integrate SESA assistance more fully with other support services from UK Trade and Investment and focus more resources on new-to-export companies in line with the SR 2004 settlement. UK Trade and Investment has carried out extensive consultations with accredited trade organisations, many of whom represent SMEs, and the issues raised will be taken into account in the re-design of support.

Small Businesses

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what guidance has been issued by her Department to advise small and medium-sized businesses on (a) protecting the security of staff and property and (b) contingency plans in the event of a terrorist attack.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Gentleman in the time available before Prorogation.

Solar Heating

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will continue the funding of grants for the installation of domestic solar water heating systems.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Solar Photovoltaics

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the effect of her Department's Solar Photovoltaics Major Demonstration Programme on private sector investment in the UK solar photovoltaic industry.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 14 March 2005
	The Major PV Demonstration Programme is due to be assessed in 2005. This assessment will consider how well the programme has addressed its objectives to:
	raise awareness of PV in the U.K;
	generate investment in the PV industry;
	assure quality installations of PV;
	generate growth and competition;
	reduce product/install costs over time;
	establish a sustainable PV market in U.K.
	In this context, the assessment will consider the impact of the programme on the number of jobs created.

Solar Photovoltaics

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 8 March 2005, Official Report, column 1713W, on solar photovoltaics, how many projects were included in the 2004 Photovoltaic Demonstration Programme; and what plans she has (a) to promote and (b) to extend the programme.

Mike O'Brien: Unfortunately due to a double counting error the figure given in reply to PQ No 220204 was incorrect.
	The number of installations in calendar year 2004 is as follows:
	
		
			  Projects kWp installed 
		
		
			 For Stream 1 236 513.936 
			 For Stream 2 39 883.877 
			 Total installed  1,397 
		
	
	The current capital grants programme is due to end in March 2006 and the Department will continue its support for PV through a low carbon buildings programme. The renewable innovation review, February 2004, recommended this more holistic approach to energy use in buildings incorporating both energy efficiency and renewable energy technologies. The low carbon buildings programme is currently under development and there will be formal consultation shortly. The programme is expected to begin operating in 200607.

Solar Photovoltaics

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her Department's estimate of the number of full-time equivalent jobs in the UK solar PV sector is in the last year for which information is available; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: It is estimated that the number of full-time equivalent jobs in the UK solar PV sector in 2003 was 337. This is based on data collected by the International AgencyPhotovoltaics Power Systems Programme and reported in the 2003 National Survey Report. In addition the Survey records 66 jobs in solar PV research and development (non industry based).

Special Representative for International Trade and Investment

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the appointment process was for the Special Representative for International Trade and Investment; and what the (a) role and (b) responsibilities of the Special Representative were.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 4 April 2005
	The Duke of York was appointed to the role in support of British Trade International (BTI) (which in 2003 became UK Trade and Investment), by Her Majesty The Queen, after consultation with The Cabinet Office, BTI and The Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He was given the title UK Special Representative for International Trade and Investment. His Royal Highness formally assumed this voluntary and unpaid position on 1 October 2001.
	The roles and responsibilities of the UK's Special Representative for Trade and Investment are set out in the 2004 UK Trade and Investment Departmental Report available in the Libraries of the House.

Statutory Audit Requirements (Yorkshire)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many businesses in (a) York and (b) Yorkshire were exempt from the statutory audit requirement in 1997; and how many are exempt from that requirement.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Stem Cell Research

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial commitment her Department plans to make to stem cell research in (a) 2005, (b) 2006, (c) 2007 and (d) 2008.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Support and Exhibitions

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) criteria she has used and (b) research she has commissioned in order to assess the effects on the economy of reforms made by her Department to the Support for Exhibitions and Seminars Abroad scheme.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 7 March 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Surplus Assets Sales

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the value of sales of surplus assets from her Department was in each year since 200001.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Telecom Billing Services

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent representations she has received about Telecom Billing Services Ltd. and their premium rate service.

Mike O'Brien: The Department received four letters from MPs in the course of 2004 about Telecoms Billing Services Ltd. (TBS). The constituents had been billed by TBS for a service they had not used.

Television Sets (Recycling)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the cost to local authorities of recycling television sets.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Town Centres (Businesses)

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial incentives the Government (a) have in place and (b) are planning to support (i)small and (ii) specialised businesses to remain open in town centres.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Trade Agreements

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the US Administration about its policy on countries entering into international environmental agreements as a condition of bilateral trade agreements.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Trade Balance

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what recent assessment she has made of trends in the UK's balance of trade figures.

Douglas Alexander: The latest official figures from the 2005 Budget report for the UK's total balance of trade in goods and services for 2004 show a deficit representing 3.3 per cent. of GDP. The Treasuryforecasts this to fall to between 3 per cent. to 3.1 per cent. of GDP by 2007.

Trade Development Schemes

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research her Department has undertaken into the impact of reducing the role of trade associations and chambers of commerce in delivering UK Trade and Investment's trade development schemes.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Gentleman in the time available before Prorogation.

Trading Relationships (Food)

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many representations her Department has received in each of the last three years for which figures are available in respect of the nature of trading relationships from primary producers to supermarkets through the food supply chain.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 17 January 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Trading Standards

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many successful prosecutions there have been by trading standards officers in each of the last five years under the Property Misdescriptions Act 1991; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Trident

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what calculation his Department has made of the (a) physical, (b) environmental and (c) health impacts of the detonation of a single trident nuclear warhead on an urban area.

Geoff Hoon: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

UK Gas Market

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will urge the European Commission to undertake an investigation into the operation of the UK wholesale gas market; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

UK Trade and Investment

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when UK Trade and Investment will begin to limit its support to new exporters.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

UK-Israel Trade Relations

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of bilateral trade relations between the UK and Israel (a) between 1997 and 2001 and (b) since 2001.

Douglas Alexander: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Finchley and Golders Green (Dr. Vis) on 22 March 2005, Official Report, columns 67475W.

Under-age Drinking

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what statistics trading standards officers are required to compile on the sale of alcohol to under-age individuals;
	(2)  what guidance the Government have issued to local authority trading standards officers on measures they should take towards reducing under-age drinking.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Underprivileged People Overseas

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps the Government takes to ensure that overseas operations by companies registered in the UK do not harm underprivileged people overseas; and what form of redress such people may seek if they believe that they have been harmed by such activities.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Union of Democratic Mineworkers

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will suspend her Department's handling agreement with the Union of Democratic Mineworkers subsidiary company Vendside while concerns raised about financial irregularities are investigated.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 22 March 2005
	No. Suspending the agreement with Vendside who have handled 59,000 claims would freeze payments to all the sick miners and their widows currently using Vendside. To date I am not aware that the hon. Member has been able to substantiate his claims of financial irregularity.

Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive on the disposal of waste goods.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Wind Power

Tim Yeo: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many megawatts of installed capacity of wind power have been (a) applied for and (b) approved in each of the last five years in (i) England, (ii) Scotland and (iii) Wales.

Mike O'Brien: The DTI is responsible for considering applications for consent under section 36 of the Electricity Act for wind farm projects of more than 50MW onshore and more than 1MW offshore in England and Wales. The DTI is also responsible for applications under the Transport and Work Act (TWA) for offshore wind farm projects in England only: the NAW has responsibility for TWA projects in Welsh waters.
	Smaller wind farm projects, less than 50MW, are dealt with by the relevant local planning authority, which should hold the details of these.
	For Scotland, the Scottish Executive is responsible for the consenting function for wind farm projects over 50MW.
	The figures within the table are based on the information obtained by the DTI for all wind farm projects both large (under section 36) and smaller (outside section 36).
	
		MW
		
			  England applied England approved Wales applied Wales approved Scotland applied Scotland approved 
		
		
			 2000 17.086 8.89 99.623 30.203 110.01 19.62 
			 2001 33.51 33.51 13.542 4.675 621.12 154.96 
			 2002 971.992 28.827 175.3 229.03 1099.9405 187.5325 
			 2003 376.024 795.2075 24.9125 0 1018.1746 543.0946 
			 2004 550.552 5.61 31.26 0 4804.345 366.5

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Beef Exports

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what steps she is taking to (a) promote British beef to countries which refuse to permit its importation and (b) secure the lifting of the ban on the import of British beef; and if she will raise the matter at the World Trade Organisation;
	(2)  what her policy is on the export of British beef to countries which have not stated whether they will allow British beef to be imported;
	(3)  what action she has taken to secure a change of policy in countries which refuse to permit the importation of British beef.

Ben Bradshaw: Where countries ban British beef or have not stated whether they allow imports, we make use of bilateral contacts at all levels as they arise to press the case for our exports. The European Commission has also played an active role in tackling bans on EU beef in general. However, while the over-30 months (OTM) rule remains in place and while we can export only beef produced under the date based export scheme, the UK will remain a major importer of beef. When the OTM rule is replaced by BSE testing and EU export restrictions are lifted, we will agree a targeted lobbying strategy with industry focussed on countries that provide significant export opportunities. This will include working with the European Commission on third country issues. The Commission would pursue with WTO as appropriate.

Abandoned Vehicles

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many abandoned vehicles were recovered in (a) 200001, (b) 200102, (c) 200203 and (d) 200304, broken down by region.

Alun Michael: Revised estimates for the numbers of abandoned vehicles removed and destroyed between 200001 and 200304 are listed in the table.
	
		Thousands
		
			 Region 200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 North east 3.1 3.2 6.7 7.3 
			 North west 10.1 10.6 13.8 13.3 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 7.9 12.7 15.4 14.0 
			  
			 East Midlands 12.3 16.9 19.3 15.9 
			 West Midlands 13.9 13.1 16.1 13.7 
			 East 30.6 42.2 44.9 35.5 
			  
			 London 83.9 104.5 94.5 59.7 
			 South east 43.9 57.5 53.4 40.8 
			 South west 17.9 23.7 27.7 21.4 
			 England totals 223.5 284.4 291.7 221.6

Burnley

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Burnley constituency, the effects on Burnley of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Alun Michael: Defra publishes a wide range of statistical information relating to its policies and actions and the following web address will take you directly to the service: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/default.asp. In addition the Office of National Statistics also publishes further information that you can access from its website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk
	Since its establishment in 2001 Defra has put in place a comprehensive programme of action on issues including sustainable development, climate change and energy, sustainable consumption and production, natural resource protection, sustainable rural communities, and a sustainable farming and food sector. I am confident that the Burnley constituency will have benefited from these but it is not possible to systematically quantify those benefits to a constituency level. The difficulties of such geographical analyses are set out by the Office of National Statistics at the following address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/default.asp.
	The following information may help provide a word picture of the way Defra's work benefits Burnley.
	Through our national strategy for waste we are committed to delivering a step change to more sustainable waste management, including tough national targets to recycle or compost 17 per cent. of household waste by 200304 and 25 per cent. by 200506. Since 2001, Defra has established a number of funding mechanisms to help local authorities achieve their targets. As a result of allocations from these funds the residents of Burnley should reap the benefits over the next few years. Since 2001 a total of 1,131,245 has been awarded to the borough to expand kerbside recycling schemes.
	In March 2005 1 announced that Lancashire has been selected as the rural pathfinder in the North Westone of eight rural pathfinders in different regions of England. The pathfinder initiative is a key part of Rural Strategy and reflects the Government's commitment to devolve decision-making and resources to the local level. The Lancashire rural pathfinder will ensure greater co-ordination of rural delivery programmes testing new and innovative methods to bring about improvements in the delivery of services to rural communities and businesses.
	In terms of specific payments we have been able to isolate expenditure under the common agricultural policy and a list of payments by constituency is available in the Library of the House following the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Knowsley North and Sefton East (Mr. Howarth) on 4 April 2005, Official Report, columns 114950W. It is noted in these figures that payments to customers are reported on the basis of requested business address which may differ from the location of farming activity.
	Common Agricultural Policy
	Payments to farm-based schemes in the Burnley constituency for the 2004 European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) accounting year which ran from 16 October 2003 to 15 October 2004 amount to 780,824.36.
	The schemes included are the Arable Area Payment, Beef Special Premium, Suckler Cow Premium, Extensification Premium, Slaughter Premium, Sheep Annual Premium, Over Thirty Months Slaughter, England Rural Development Programme and Structural Funds (which are monies made available by EAGGF to contribute to the economic development of disadvantaged regions within Europe).

CAP Payments

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the Government will press for the introduction of a ceiling on Common Agricultural Policy payments to individuals.

Alun Michael: The Government are committed to further reform of the Common Agricultural Policy but does not intend to press for a ceiling on individual payments since this could actually slow the process of reform. Only cutting CAP payments to the EU's largest farms would penalise those which would tend to be better able to compete in a less subsidy dependent market. The measure could, therefore, have the counter-intuitive effect of disproportionately supporting those EU farm businesses most likely to resist further reform. A ceiling on CAP payments would also penalise the UKin relation to most other EU member states, as UK farms tend to be larger than the EU average.

Cattle Birth Notifications

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what progress officials in her Department have made since 11 December 2004 on reviewing arrangements for enforcing the deadline for birth notifications of cattle.

Ben Bradshaw: Discussions between Defra, Scottish Executive and Welsh Assembly officials are continuing. Unfortunately legal issues have proved more difficult to resolve than was initially hoped. Officials are currently considering whether an administrative solution can be found. If this is not possible legislative changes will benecessary. Industry representatives continue to be involved in informal discussions.

Civil Servants (Relocation)

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many civil servants in her Department have (a) been relocated and (b) been agreed for relocation in the last 12 months; and to which areas of the United Kingdom.

Alun Michael: The information is as follows.
	(a) In financial year 200405, Defra relocated 124 members of staff from London and the south east. This figure can be broken down as follows:
	50 to Workington,
	31 to York
	20 to Worcester,
	13 to Carlisle and
	10 to a variety of sites in the Rural Development Service.
	(b) Defra's overall target is to relocate at least 390 members of staff from the south east by the end of financial year 200708: This will be achieved through a number of major change programmes. Most of these relocations are expected to be to York and Worcester.

Common Agricultural Policy

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with the EU Agriculture Commissioner on the degree of control over agricultural policy available to the Governments of member states.

Alun Michael: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State, has had discussions with the EU Agriculture Commissioner formally and informally on a number of occasions since the Commissioner took office in November. In particular, they have discussed the proposal for a new Rural Development Regulation, and the possibilities within it for greater simplification and flexibility for member states.

Contaminated Land

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding her Department has allocated to the Environment Agency for the development and delivery of training to local authority staff working on land affected by contamination in each year since Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 was brought into effect; how much has been allocated to the Environment Agency for this purpose in 200506; what output her Department agreed with the Agency; and what has been delivered to date.

Elliot Morley: From the grant-in-aid from my Department for its activities the Environment Agency spent 150,000 and 108,000 in 200304 and 200405 respectively to develop and deliver training events with places for local authority staff, with supporting materials, in connection with Part IIA (contaminated land). Specific costs for earlier years are not readily available but are of similar order of magnitude to 200304. The Agency has not currently allocated any sums for such training in 200506.
	Training events in 200405 covered Model Procedures (Contaminated Land Report 11, published in October 2004), Site investigation for the regulation of contaminated land (nine events), Part IIA Documentation (four events), and Evaluating Human Health Risk Assessments (one event).

Correspondence

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will provide a response to the hon. Member for Bassetlaw regarding odour emissions from Mission mushroom farm.

Alun Michael: My noble Friend, the Lord Whitty, replied to my hon. Friend on 31 January 2005 and wrote again with an update on the 10 March 2005. Officials are now re-drafting the relevant statutory guidance for mushroom substrate manufacturing prior to a wider consultation.

Countryside Stewardship

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many Countryside Stewardship payments for 200405 have been paid.

Alun Michael: The scheme year for Countryside Stewardship runs from 1 October to 30 September. Annual management payments are made in arrears for the previous scheme year. Therefore claims for the 200405 year are not due for payment until October 2005.
	Claims for Capital Items under CSS (one-off items of work such as hedge and wall restoration) may be submitted at any time during the scheme year in which they are scheduled. In the 200405 scheme year, 1,187 claims have been received for Capital Items of which 947 have been paid.

Dairy Farming

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what mechanism is used for the distribution of dairy premium and additional dairy payment to dairy farmers in England.

Alun Michael: Dairy premium and the additional payment were introduced by the EU as direct payments to dairy farmers. In 2004 milk producers qualified for the dairy premium based upon the quota available on their holdings as at 31 March 2004. The UK was granted the sum of 53.4 million Euros to be distributed to producers on the basis of objective criteria and in such a way as to ensure equal treatment between producers. The UK decided to pay the additional payment as a top up to the dairy premium.
	In 2004 producers were required to apply for dairy premium and additional payment by completing an integrated administration and control system application form. Claims for England, Northern Ireland and Wales were processed by the Rural Payments Agency.
	For 2005, producers will claim dairy premium and additional payment through their single payment scheme claim form. Eligibility will be similar to 2004. Producers will not be receiving separate payments this year as both elements will be included in the single payment.

Dairy Farming

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of dairy premium and additional dairy payment will be distributed to non-dairy farmers in England.

Alun Michael: No payment will be distributed to non-dairy farmers in England as dairy premium and the additional payment are only paid to milk producers who held quota that was available on the holding at the end of the quota year. A producer is defined in the EU regulations as a farmer with a holding located within the geographic territory of a member state, who produces and markets milk or who is preparing to do so in the very near future

Dairy Farming

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dairy farmers there were in (a) Lancashire and (b) Chorley in the last year for which figures are available.

Alun Michael: The following figures show the number of holdings in Lancashire and Chorley where dairy is the predominant activity and the total number of farmers, partners, directors and spouses on these holdings. All figures are for 2003.
	
		
			  Dairy holdings Farmers, partners, directors and spouses working on dairy holdings 
		
		
			 (a) Lancashire   
			 Lancashire county 875 1,970 
			 Blackpool unitary 0 0 
			 Blackburn and Darwen unitary 28 54 
			
			 (b) Chorley 58 124 
		
	
	Source:
	June Agricultural Census

Departmental Land Purchases

David Maclean: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what acreage of land formerly owned by Solway Light Aviation at Great Orton Airfield has been acquired by her Department; and what acreage of arable and other land at Kirkbride has been conveyed to Solway Light Aviation by her Department.

Alun Michael: The Department conveyed Kirkbride Airfield to Solway Light Aviation in exchange for their interest in the airfield at Great Orton which was acquired by the Department in 2001. The total site area at Great Orton is 83 hectares (approximately 205 acres). We do not hold details of the site area for Kirkbride Airfield.

Departmental Policies

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to the Coventry, South constituency, the effects in Coventry South of changes to her Department's policies since 1997.

Alun Michael: Defra publishes a wide range of statistical information relating to its policies and actions and the following web address will take you directly to the service: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/default. asp. In addition, the Office of National Statistics also publishes further information that you can access from its website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk
	Since its establishment in 2001 Defra has put in place a comprehensive programme of action on issues including sustainable development, climate change and energy, sustainable consumption and production, natural resource protection, sustainable rural communities, and a sustainable farming and food sector. I am confident that the Coventry South constituency will have benefited from these but it is not possible to systematically quantify those benefits to a constituency level. The difficulties of such geographical analyses are set out by the Office of National Statistics at the following address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/default.asp.
	The following information may help provide a word picture of the way Defra's work benefits Coventry South.
	Through our national strategy for waste we are committed to delivering a step change to more sustainable waste management, including tough national targets to recycle or compost 17 per cent. of household waste by 200304 and 25 per cent. by 200506. Since 2001, Defra has established a number of funding mechanisms to help local authorities achieve their targets. As a result of allocations from these funds the residents of Coventry South should reap the benefits over the next few years. The main source of funding for Coventry city council's waste management services, as for all local authorities, is through the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services (EPCS) block of annual Government grant. It is for the local authority to decide what proportion of the block is invested in waste management, including recycling, services. Coventry city council has also been allocated the following additional funding and support:
	1,450,000 through the National Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund over the period 200203 to 200304 for kerbside collection of green waste and paper;
	84,026 from Defra to relieve spending pressures on waste in 200405; and
	240,478 through the Waste Performance and Efficiency Grant in 200506.
	In terms of specific payments we have been able to isolate expenditure under the common agricultural policy and a list of payments by constituency is available in the Library of the House following the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Knowsley North and Sefton East (Mr. Howarth) on 4 April 2005, Official Report, columns 114950W. It is noted in these figures that payments to customers are reported on the basis of requested business address which may differ from the location of farming activity.
	Common Agricultural Policy
	Payments to farm-based schemes in the Coventry South constituency for the 2004 European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) accounting year which ran from 16 October 2003 to 15 October 2004 amount to 23,147.13.
	The schemes included are the Arable Area Payment, Beef Special Premium, Suckler Cow Premium, Extensification Premium, Slaughter Premium, Sheep Annual Premium, Over Thirty Months Slaughter, England Rural Development Programme and Structural Funds (which are monies made available by EAGGF to contribute to the economic development of disadvantaged regions within Europe).

Departmental Policies

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out, with statistical information relating as closely as possible to the constituency, the effect of her Department's actions and policies on Blackpool, South constituency since (a) 1997 and (b) 2001.

Alun Michael: Defra publishes a wide range of statistical information relating to its policies and actions and the following web address will take my hon. Friend directly to the service: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/default.asp. In addition the Office for National Statistics also publishes further information that you can access from its website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk.
	Since its establishment in 2001 Defra has put in place a comprehensive programme of action on issues including sustainable development, climate change and energy, sustainable consumption and production, natural resource protection, sustainable rural communities, and a sustainable farming and food sector. I am confident that the Blackpool, South constituency will have benefited from these but it is not possible to systematically quantify those benefits to a constituency level. The difficulties of such geographical analyses are set out by the Office for National Statistics at the following address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/default.asp.
	The following information may help provide a word picture of the way Defra's work benefits Blackpool, South.
	Through our national strategy for waste we are committed to deliver a step change to more sustainable waste management, including tough national targets to recycle or compost 17 per cent. of household waste by 200304 and 25 per cent. by 200506. Defra has, since its establishment in 2001, set up a number of funding mechanisms to help local authorities achieve their targets.
	It is not possible to be specific as to how successful the Blackpool, South constituency has been in obtaining some of the available funding. However, as a result of allocations from these funds, the residents of the borough of Blackpool should, over the next few years, reap the benefits. Since 2001 a total of 1,106,836 has been awarded to the borough to expand kerbside recycling schemes.
	Defra has overall policy responsibility for flood .and coastal erosion risk in England and funds most of the activities of the Environment Agency (EA) in this area. Defra also provides grant aid on a project-by-project basis to the other flood and coastal defence operating authorities (local authorities and internal drainage boards) to support their investment in improvement works.
	Improvement projects funded by Defra, including those of the EA, must meet specified economic, technical and environmental criteria and achieve an appropriate priority score to be eligible for funding. Defra does not build defences, nor direct the authorities on what specific projects to carry out. The works programme to manage risk is driven by the operating authorities.
	Details of Defra grant aid paid to Blackpool borough council for coast protection works carried out under the Coast Protection Act from 1997 to date are:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 1997 3,246,295 
			 1998 5,333,593 
			 1999 2,693,727 
			 2000 6,320,596 
			 2001 1,295,302 
			 2002 1,850,269 
			 2003 1,128,269 
			 2004 400,873 
			 2005 670,003 
		
	
	In terms of specific payments we have been able to isolate expenditure under the Common Agricultural Policy and a list of payments by constituency is available in the Library of the House following the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley, North and Sefton, East (Mr. Howarth) on 4 April 2005, Official Report, columns 114950W. It is noted in these figures that payments to customers are reported on the basis of requested business address which may differ from the location of farming activity.
	Common Agricultural Policy
	Payments to farm based schemes in the Blackpool, South constituency for the 2004 European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) accounting year which ran from 16 October 2003 to 15 October 2004 amount to 4,426.59
	The schemes included are the Arable Area Payment, Beef Special Premium, Suckler Cow Premium, Exfensification Premium, Slaughter Premium, Sheep Annual Premium, Over Thirty Months Slaughter, England Rural Development Programme and Structural Funds (which are monies made available by EAGGF to contribute to the economic development of disadvantaged regions within Europe).

Departmental Policies

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 0if she will set out, with statistical information relating as closely as possible to Chorley constituency, the effect of her Department's policies and actions on Chorley constituency since 1997.

Alun Michael: Defra publishes a wide range of statistical information relating to its policies and actions and the following web address will take you directly to the service: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/default. asp. In addition the Office of National Statistics also publishes further information that you can access from its website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk
	Since its establishment in 2001 Defra has put in place a comprehensive programme of action on issues including sustainable development, climate change and energy, sustainable consumption and production, natural resource protection, sustainable rural communities, and a sustainable farming and food sector. I am confident that the Chorley constituency will have benefited from these but it is not possible to systematically quantify those benefits to a constituency level. The difficulties of such geographical analyses areset out by the Office of National Statistics at the following address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/default.asp.
	The following information may help provide a word picture of the way Defra's work benefits Chorley.
	Through our national strategy for waste we are committed to deliver a step change to more sustainable waste management, including tough national targets to recycle or compost 17 per cent. of household waste by 200304 and 25 per cent. by 200506.
	Defra has, since its establishment in 2001, set up a number of funding mechanisms to help local authorities achieve their targets. As a result of allocations from these funds the residents of Chorley should, over the next few years, reap the benefits. Since 2001 a total of 1,016,646 has been awarded to the borough to expand kerbside recycling schemes.
	In March 2005 we announced Lancashire as one of eight rural pathfinders in England. The pathfinder initiative is a key part of the Government's Rural Strategy and reflects the Government's commitment to devolve decision-making and resources to the local level. The Lancashire rural pathfinder will ensure greater co-ordination of rural delivery programmes testing new and innovative methods to bring about improvements in the delivery of services to rural communities and businesses.
	In terms of specific payments we have been able to isolate expenditure under the Common Agricultural Policy and a list of payments by constituency is available in the Library of the House following the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Knowsley North and Sefton East, (Mr. Howarth) on 4 April 2005, Official Report, columns 114950W. It is noted in these figures that payments to customers are reported on the basis of requested business address which may differ from the location of farming activity.
	Common Agricultural Policy
	Payments to farm based schemes in the Chorley constituency for the 2004 European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) accounting year which ran from 16 October 2003 to 15 October 2004 amount to 1,207,777.07.
	The schemes included are the Arable Area Payment, Beef Special Premium, Suckler Cow Premium, Extensification Premium, Slaughter Premium, Sheep Annual Premium, Over Thirty Months Slaughter, England Rural Development Programme and Structural Funds (which are monies made available by EAGGF to contribute to the economic development of disadvantaged regions within Europe).

Departmental Policies

Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to West Dorset constituency, the effects on West Dorset of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Alun Michael: Defra publishes a wide range of statistical information relating to its policies and actions and the following web address will take you directly to the service: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/default. asp. In addition the Office of National Statistics also publishes further information that you can access from its website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk
	Since its establishment in 2001 Defra has put in place a comprehensive programme of action on issues including sustainable development, climate change and energy, sustainable consumption and production, natural resource protection, sustainable rural communities, and a sustainable farming and food sector. I am confident that the West Dorset constituency will have benefited from these but it is not possible to systematically quantify those benefits to a constituency level. The difficulties of such geographical analyses areset out by the Office of National Statistics at the following address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/default.asp.
	The following information may help provide a word picture of the way Defra's work benefits West Dorset.
	The Environment Agency has been active on the ground in West Dorset dealing with water quality problems. This work has been part of the Cycleau Project, a European Interreg IIIB funded project that aims to:
	Find innovative ways of managing and improving the water environment.
	Share knowledge and experience of water management.
	Involve local communities in the management of local rivers.
	More details are on the website. www.cycleau.com
	In West Dorset most of the activity has been in the River Char catchment area (upstream of Charmouth). The Environment Agency is the lead partner with FWAG delivering advice and grant aid. The main concern has been to ensure that the beach at Charmouth meets its Bathing Water standards with failures in the past resulting from diffuse farm pollution. There are about 35 farms in the Char catchment and so far about 20 farmers have been involved in the project. Funding is 70,000 over three years, up to 2006
	West Dorset forms part of the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) and as such is supported by Defra (through the Countryside Agency) for core funding. Core funding since 2002 has been 574,200 that is further enhanced by contributions from all the district authorities and the county council.
	Defra has supported Leader+ through the Dorset Chalk and Cheese programme, and awarded 1,217,456 EU and 591,558 Defra funding, to run a six year community based programme (200006), in parts of rural West Dorset.
	The Voluntary and Community Sector in Dorset has benefited from joint funding with the Home Office through the Capacity Building and Infrastructure Strategy Programme. The rural preparatory programme to June 2004 awarded 20,000 to Churches Together in Dorset (CTD), Dorset Community Action (DCA) and Dorset Race Equality Council and sought primarily to:
	Build a broader consortium of rural partners, and develop Vision for closer collaboration in the longer term.
	Develop a Countywide Investment Plan for Voluntary Sector Infrastructure
	The Change Up programme that follows on from this will see Defra and the Home Office supporting a Dorset Consortia to continue with this work and West Dorset is sure to benefit.
	The England Rural Development Programme has supported a number of grants in West Dorset for Vocational Training Schemes, for example training farm staff and on organic skills. Processing and Marketing grants of 105,577 were given to support farms and food processing plants. The Rural Enterprise Scheme gave grants of 466,671 to support rural businesses including a livery stable, equatic centre and food processing plant.
	In terms of specific payments we have been able to isolate expenditure under the Common Agricultural Policy and a list of payments by constituency is available in the Library of the House following the answer I gave to the hon Member for Knowsley North and Sefton East, (Mr. Howarth) on 4 April 2005, Official Report, columns 11491150W. It is noted in these figures that payments to customers are reported on the basis of requested business address which may differ from the location of farming activity:
	Common Agricultural Policy
	Payments to farm based schemes in the West Dorset constituency for the 2004 European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) accounting year which ran from 16 October 2003 to 15 October 2004 amount to 9,929,067.25
	The schemes included are the Arable Area Payment, Beef Special Premium, Suckler Cow Premium, Extensification Premium, Slaughter Premium, Sheep Annual Premium, Over Thirty Months Slaughter, England Rural Development Programme and Structural Funds (which are monies made available by EAGGF to contribute to the economic development of disadvantaged regions within Europe).

Departmental Policies

Jackie Lawrence: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Preseli, Pembrokeshire constituency, the effects on Preseli, Pembrokeshire of her Department's policies and actions since it was established.

Alun Michael: Most policy areas for which Defra has responsibility are devolved and fall to the National Assembly for Wales in respect of Welsh constituencies. Statistics for Welsh constituencies are also generally a matter for the Assembly.

Departmental Policies

Brian Sedgemore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to South-East Cambridgeshire constituency, the effects on South-East Cambridgeshire of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Alun Michael: Defra publishes a wide range of statistical information relating to its policies and actions and the following web address will take you directly to the service: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/default. asp. In addition the Office of National Statistics also publishes further information that you can access from its website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk
	Since its establishment in 2001 Defra has put in place a comprehensive programme of action on issues including sustainable development, climate change and energy, sustainable consumption and production, natural resource protection, sustainable rural communities, and a sustainable farming and food sector. I am confident that the South East Cambridgeshire constituency will have benefited from these but it is not possible to systematically quantify those benefits to a constituency level. The difficulties of such geographical analyses are set out by the Office of National Statistics at the following address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/default.asp
	The following information may help provide a word picture of the way Defra's work benefits South East Cambridgeshire. Through our national strategy for waste we are committed to delivering a step change to more sustainable waste management, including tough national targets to recycle or compost 17 per cent. of household waste by 200304, and 25 per cent. by 200506. The county of Cambridgeshire continues to make a substantial contribution to achieving national recycling targets. The county's recycling performance in 200304, the most recent year for which data are available, was 29 per cent., against the national average for that year of 16.9 per cent.
	The Government are committed to increasing the amount of electricity supplied by renewable sources in the UK to 10 per cent. by 2010. Between 1990 and 1998, the percentage of electricity generated from renewable sources in Cambridgeshire increased from zero, or very little, to around 0.9 per cent. In the last four years, this figure has increased to around 6 per cent. This dramatic increase is mainly attributable to the opening of a straw burning power station in Sutton near Ely in late 2001.
	An area of the East of England, which covers a large part of the South East Cambridgeshire constituency, is one of the eight rural delivery pathfinders announced by the Minister of State, Alun Michael, at Ely on 14 March. The pathfinder initiative is a key part of the Government's Rural Strategy and reflects the Government's commitment to devolve decision-making and resources to the local level. The Fens rural pathfinder will ensure greater co-ordination of rural delivery programmes by testing new and innovative methods to bring about improvements in the delivery of services to rural communities and businesses. Partners in pathfinder areas are currently worked on their detailed proposals of actions they will undertake, but a summary can be obtained via the following web address: www. idea-knowledge, gov.uk/idk/core/page. do?pageld =335795
	In terms of specific payments we have been able to isolate expenditure under the Common Agricultural Policy and a list of payments by constituency is available in the Library of the House following the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Knowsley North and Sefton East, (Mr. Howarth) on 4 April 2005, Official Report, columns 114950W. It is noted in these figures that payments to customers are reported on the basis of requested business address which may differ from the location of farming activity.
	Common Agricultural Policy
	Payments to farm based schemes in the South East Cambridgeshire constituency for the 2004 European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) accounting year which ran from 16 October 2003 to 15 October 2004 amount to 12, 865, 707.74.
	The schemes included are the Arable Area Payment, Beef Special Premium, Suckler Cow Premium, Extensification Premium, Slaughter Premium, Sheep Annual Premium, Over Thirty Months Slaughter, England Rural Development Programme and Structural Funds (which are monies made available by EAGGF to contribute to the economic development of disadvantaged regions within Europe).

Departmental Policies

Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to Witney constituency, the effects on Witney of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Alun Michael: Defra publishes a wide range of statistical information relating to its policies and actions and the following web address will take my right hon. Friend directly to the service: http://statistics.defra. gov.uk/esg/default.asp. In addition the Office for National Statistics also publishes further information that you can access from its website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk.
	Since its establishment in 2001 Defra has put in place a comprehensive programme of action on issues including sustainable development, climate change and energy, sustainable consumption and production, natural resource protection, sustainable rural communities, and a sustainable farming and food sector. I am confident that the Witney constituency will have benefited from these but it is not possible to systematically quantify those benefits to a constituency level. The difficulties of such geographical analyses areset out by the Office for National Statistics at the following address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/default.asp.
	In terms of specific payments we have been able to isolate expenditure under the Common Agricultural Policy and a list of payments by constituency is available in the Library of the House following the answer I gave to my hon. Friend the Member for Knowsley, North and Sefton, East (Mr. Howarth) on 4 April 2005, Official Report, columns 114950W. It is noted in these figures that payments to customers are reported on the basis of requested business address which may differ from the location of farming activity.
	Common Agricultural Policy
	Payments to farm based schemes in the Witney constituency for the 2004 European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) accounting year which ran from 16 October 2003 to 15 October 2004 amount to 13,661,576.34.
	The schemes included are the Arable Area Payment, Beef Special Premium, Suckler Cow Premium, Extensification Premium, Slaughter Premium, Sheep Annual Premium, Over Thirty Months Slaughter, England Rural Development Programme and Structural Funds (which are monies made available by EAGGF to contribute to the economic development of disadvantaged regions within Europe).
	Other benefits
	The following information may also help provide a word picture of the way Defra's work benefits Witney through a selection of activities which have taken place in Oxfordshire.
	Applications for the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) have been received from within the County of Oxfordshire. As at 2004 Oxfordshire had 594 agri-environment schemes which is the highest number of any other county in the region. Grant paid under the Farm Woodland Premium Scheme and Farm Woodland Scheme since 2000 is 1.2 million and 112,000 has been under the Habitat Scheme since 2001. 565,000 has been paid under the Project Based Schemes since 2001.
	Clinics for the promotion of good quality applications under the ERDP are held regularly by the Defra Rural Development Service in Reading and Guildford.
	West Oxfordshire is one of five areas in the South East region that has funding under the LEADER + programme, with European Union support, for experimental development of rural projects and community initiatives. Over 20 projects have, or are being funded, through the programme in Oxfordshire with further projects due to start this year. Projects aim to improve quality of life and particularly target younger and older people, women, rural business and workers affected by rural restructuring.
	The Countryside Agency is supporting a number of projects in the area. The Vital Villages Programme began in 2001 and provides financial support for rural transport projects, projects to enhance and establish key rural services and to assist parishes with producing a parish plan. Funding for this programme in West Oxfordshire exceeds 1 million.
	Defra has worked to implement the vision of the Rural White Paper to support vibrant rural communities through the proactive work of Oxfordshire rural community council which delivers support and services on the ground to rural communities. In the three years from 200104 over 800,000 has been invested in supporting rural transport, rural retail services, the provision of affordable homes in rural communities, community development work and work with socially excluded groups in rural areas across Oxfordshire. The money channelled by Defra through the RCC for this work, has also been instrumental at a local level, in levering other sources of finance to support rural communities.
	Defra is funding a pilot study which aims to increase the local food content (fresh, seasonal ingredients) of school meals. Several schools are involved across the pilot area covering Buckinghamshire, Berkshire and Oxfordshire. The findings are due this April.
	The South East Rural Affairs Forum was set up following recommendations in the Rural White Paper. The forum held a conference involving stakeholders across the region on 7 September 2004 and was attended by several stakeholders from Oxfordshire.

Deregulation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many EU (a) regulations and (b) directives covering matters within the responsibility of her Department have been repealed since 1 April 2004.

Alun Michael: The European Commission publishes information on the repeal of EU regulations and directives in its simplification progress reports. Its last report was published in June 2004 and is available at http://europa.eu.int/comm/governance/docs/comm_ doc_trav_en.pdf. The next report will cover the period since 1 April 2004.

Deregulation

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many regulations have been repealed by her Department since 1 October 2004.

Alun Michael: We have the information from 1 April 2004 and the Department has repealed the following 42 pieces of domestic legislation:
	The Diseases of Animals (Fees for the Testing of Disinfectants) Order 1991 (SI 1991/1168)
	Integrated Administration and Control System Regulations 1993 (SI 1993/1317)
	Integrated Administration and Control System (Amendment) Regulations 1994 (SI 1994/1134)
	Integrated Administration and Control System (Amendment) Regulations 1997 (SI 1997/1148)
	Potatoes Originating in the Netherlands Regulations 1997 (SI 1997/2441)
	Potatoes Originating in the Netherlands (Amendment) Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/3168)
	The Diseases of Animals (Approved Disinfectants) (Amendment) Order 1999 (SI 1999/919)
	The Dairy Produce Quotas Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/457)
	Plant Health (Phytophthora ramorum) (England) (No. 2) Order 2002 (SI 2002/2573)
	Integrated Administration and Control System (Amendment) Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/2573)
	The Common Agricultural Policy Support Schemes (Modulation) Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/3127)
	The Diseases of Animals (Approved Disinfectants) (Amendment) (England) Order 2000 (SI 2000/3195)
	Regulation 7(16) of the Intervention Board for Agricultural Produce (Abolition) Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/3686)
	The Diseases of Animals (Approved Disinfectants) (Amendment) (England) Order 2001 (SI 2001/608)
	The Dairy Produce Quotas Regulations 2002 (SI 2002/457)
	Plant Health (Forestry) (Phytophthora ramorum) (Great Britain) (No. 2) Order 2002 (SI 2002/2589)
	Organic Farming (England Rural Development Programme) Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/1235)
	The Animal Gatherings (England) Order 2003 (SI 2003/1723)
	The Diseases of Animals (Approved Disinfectants) (Amendment) (England) Order 2003 (SI 2003/1428)
	Integrated Administration and Control System (Amendment) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/189)
	The Dairy Produce Quotas (Amendment) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/312)
	The Sea Fishing (Restriction on Days at Sea) Order 2004 (SI 2004/398)
	The Animals and Animal Products (Import and Export) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/853)
	The Products of Animal Origin (Third Country Imports) (No. 2) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/1740)
	The Common Agricultural Policy Support Schemes (Modulation) (Amendment) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/2330)
	The Products of Animal Origin (Third Country Imports) (No. 3) Regulations 2004 (SI 2004/2640)
	In so far as they apply to England
	The Arable Area Payments Regulations 1996 (SI 1996/3142)
	The Arable Area Payments (Amendment) Regulations 1997 (SI 1997/2969)
	The Arable Area Payments (Amendment) Regulations 1998 (SI 1998/3169)
	The Arable Area Payments (Amendment) Regulations 1999 (SI 1999/8)
	The Sheep Annual Premium and Suckler Cow Quotas Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/2261)
	In so far as the Secretary of State is the relevant competent authority in relation to the holding for the purposes of the IACS regulations:
	The Sheep Annual Premium Regulations 1992 (SI 1992/2677)
	The Sheep Annual Premium (Amendment) Regulations 1994 (SI 1994/2741)
	The Sheep Annual Premium (Amendment) Regulations 1995 (SI 1995/2779)
	The Sheep Annual Premium (Amendment) Regulations 1996 (SI 1996/49)
	The Sheep Annual Premium (Amendment) Regulations 1997 (SI 1997/2500)
	The Slaughter Premium Regulations 2000 (SI 2000/3126)
	The Sheep Annual Premium (Amendment) Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/281)
	Extensification Payment Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/864)
	Suckler Cow Premium Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/1370)
	Beef Special Premium Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/2503)
	The Slaughter Premium (Amendment) Regulations 2001 (SI 2001/3906)

Farm Plastic Collections

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what farm plastic collections are made in (a) Stroud and (b) Gloucestershire; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: We understand that there are currently no farm plastic collections being made in either Stroud or Gloucestershire.
	There was at one time a scheme operating in Gloucestershire, connected to the Somerset Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group, but I understand that this has now closed down.

Farmers (Bureaucracy)

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to merge agencies and non-departmental public bodies for which her Department is responsible in order to reduce the administrative burden for farmers who have to supply the same information to different bodies.

Alun Michael: Action that is being taken to reduce the administrative burden on farmers includes the following:
	1. We are already implementing the commitments in the Rural Strategy 2004 to modernise the delivery of rural services. Subject to parliamentary approval, we will bring together three existing bodies, English Nature, parts of the Countryside Agency and Defra's Rural Development Service, into a single body, Natural England, to be responsible for conserving, managing and enhancing the natural environment.
	2. Our IT Strategy, and its constituent customer information programme, is developing a single data repository for farmers, in partnership with the Rural Payments Agency. Phase One of this work is currently underway, and will be completed in July 2005, when we will have a better idea of the costs and timescales for full delivery.
	3. We are developing the Defra Whole Farm Approach programme. This will:
	Save time on form filling and stop repeated requests for the same information.
	Cut down bureaucracy and provide a mechanism for registering for exemptions and licenses.
	Enable farmers to provide us with the evidence of good practice that will reduce their risk of being selected for inspection.
	Provide instant access to up to date help and guidance.
	The programme is being developed with a range of partners including the Environment Agency, Food Standards Agency, Health and Safety Executive and National Farmers Union. They are all playing a vital role in the development of the Approach, and together we aim to create a single set of essential core data on farms and farming activity, and by sharing that data significantly reduce the burdens of regulation and enforcement activities.

Farms

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she is taking to reduce the burden of administration on farm assured farms.

Alun Michael: Assurance schemes are private initiatives and membership is voluntary. Decisions on assurance standards and inspection regimes are a matter for scheme owners. However, the Department has facilitated discussions between key stakeholders with a view to the rationalisation of assurance schemes in line with the recommendations of the Policy Commission on the future of farming and food. As a result of those discussions the six main sectoral assurance schemes in England have either merged or entered into binding agreements with Assured Food Standards, the private organisation that was set up to administer the Red Tractor logo. This has provided scope for further rationalisation of assurance standards and inspections.
	The Department is also committed to further improving farm regulation and in November 2005 we will publish a Strategy for the Regulation of Agriculture. In order to develop this Strategy, we are gathering evidence directly from farmers and their regulators on the impact and performance of farm regulation. This evidence will inform us about how to improve the performance of existing and planned regulation and achieve more effective controls that are delivered more efficiently and with less bureaucracy.

Farms

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many visits on average she expects officials will make to farms in relation to the single farm payment.

Alun Michael: The average number of visits to farms in relation to the single payment scheme will depend on the total number of applications made. Visits will be undertaken to at least 5 per cent. of the applicants each year. If there are for example 125,000 applicants in 2005, this would produce 6,250 visits.

Farms

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what arrangements will be put in place for interim payments to be made where there is a delay in the payment of the single farm payment.

Alun Michael: The Rural Payments Agency has announced that it expects to begin payments under the single payment scheme in February 2006, well before the deadline of 30 June 2006 set in EU legislation. The Government are considering what action can be taken to improve on this position or to help in other ways.

Fisheries

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cetaceans have been reported stranded during the 200405 season of the pair trawl sea bass fishery.

Ben Bradshaw: The pair trawling sea bass fishery season usually starts in November and continues until April and fishing for sea bass takes place in the south-west Approaches. From 1 November 2004 to 4 March 2005, a total of 90 cetaceans have been reported as stranded on the south coast (Cornwall, Devon and Dorset,). These comprised 47 common dolphins, 31harbour porpoises, one bottlenose dolphin, two long-finned pilot whales and nine unidentified cetaceans.
	All strandings found in the south-west cannot be solely attributed to the pair trawling sea bass fishery. These figures include stranded dead cetaceans, live strandings and carcasses seen floating at sea. Only 12 of the 90 cetaceans that were stranded were definitely confirmed as bycatch. The data were obtained under the Defra-funded Cetacean and Turtle Strandings Scheme, carried out by the Natural History Museum in partnership with the Institute of Zoology and Scottish Agricultural College.

Fly-tipping

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to combat fly-tipping.

Alun Michael: The Department is taking forward a wide ranging strategy for combating fly-tipping, in close liaison with the Environment Agency and local authorities. Some new powers for these enforcement agencies were included in the Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003. Many more provisions have been included in the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill which has now completed its passage through Parliament. These include raising the penalties for the main offence of illegal waste disposal; new powers to stop, search and instantly seize vehicles that are being used for fly-tipping; additional sentencing powers for the courts including a power to award forfeiture of vehicles used to commit an offence; and powers for the enforcing authorities to issue fixed penalty notices for some offences. We will work closely with the enforcement authorities on implementation of all the measures in the Bill.
	100 per cent. of local authorities are now registered on the Flycapture database, which for the first time is producing national data on the nature and scale of fly-tipping across the country. We are funding the Environment Agency through the Flycapture Enforcement project to provide training for local authority enforcement officers and lawyers on how to enhance their skills. Through the BREW programme, we are providing additional funding for the agency to assist businesses in complying with the legal requirements on the disposal of waste. The Department has also just let a research project that will look in depth at the reasons why people fly-tip and will develop good practice guidance for local authorities on further measures they can take to help reduce the problem.

Food Imports (African Products)

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the impact of imports of African food products into western markets on farmers in the UK.

Alun Michael: In 2003, 4.9 per cent. of the total value of food, feed and drink imports into the European Union were from Africa. For the same year, 6.3 per cent. of the total value of food, feed and drink imports into the United Kingdom were from Africa. Of all of the imported food, feed and drink indigenous to the UK, 3.8 per cent. were from Africa, the corresponding figure for imported non- indigenous food, feed and drink from Africa was 10.3 per cent.

Gangmaster Licensing

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what guidance her Department has issued to assist legitimate labour providers in complying with gangmasters licensing regulations.

Alun Michael: The Government are working to ensure that labour provider businesses have robust business systems in place in advance of the introduction of licensing later this year. Regulation of the industry is intended to end exploitation and drive out illegal activity. In parallel to developing the licensing system, we are working to help legitimate labour providers to be successful and robust businesses. To facilitate this process we are working closely with the Ethical Trading Initiative Temporary Labour Working Group to promote the Code of Practice which the group launched in November 2004. Labour providers are being invited to arrange for their businesses to be audited against the code. Those that do will be offered a pre audit business consultancy session to assess their business and offer advice on problem areas. This process has the full backing of the supermarkets, the Association of Labour Providers, the Transport and General Workers Union and the National Farmers Union. To help reduce the cost to labour providers, the Government will be meeting a proportion of the cost of the consultancy advice and audit activities on a first come first served basis. The Chairman of the Gangmasters Licensing Authority has also indicated, that the cost of a licence audit will be reduced where a labour provider has previously been audited against the Temporary Labour Working Group Code by an auditor meeting the competencies set by the Gangmasters Licensing Authority.
	In the longer term the Gangmasters Licensing Authority will be responsible for developing regulations setting out the conditions labour providers will be required to comply with under the new gangmaster licensing arrangements. Regulations establishing the Gangmasters Licensing Authority are in place and the authority started work on 1 April. The authority will be consulting on licence conditions over the next few weeks and hopes to have regulations in place establishing the detailed licensing arrangements by the autumn. It is anticipated that the authority will develop best practice guidance for labour providers alongside the regulations.

GM Crops

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action her Department is taking in connection with the failure of the US Administration to notify the UK before March of the import into the UK since 2001 of GM maize containing an antibiotic resistant marker of a type that the EU had been advised to phase out; and what steps her Department is taking to prevent a recurrence of such an event with reference to (a) regulatory controls in the US and (b) the implementation of controls in the EU.

Elliot Morley: This relates to the incident in the USA where some batches of Syngenta's GM maize seed intended to be Bt11 actually contained an unapproved GM maize event known as Bt10. We were informed of this incident on 22 March and issued a press release on 23 March. Our understanding is that between 200104 approximately 15,000 hectares of Bt10 was grown in the USA and most of the resulting grain was used in the USA. Only 18 per cent. of US corn is exported and the levels of maize exported from the US to the EU are very small indeed. The European Commission has been informed that an estimated 1,000 tonnes of Bt10 food and feed products may have entered the European Union (as distinct from the UK) since 2001. We have no evidence at this stage of any import of Bt10 into the UK.
	We are unaware of the original source of the figure of 170,000 tonnes which you quote. There is no evidence that 170,000 tonnes of Bt10 maize has been imported into the UK; and indeed this figure is an order of magnitude higher than the total annual maize imports into the UK from the US, which are in a range of 4,000 to 14,000 tonnes annually.
	Following Syngenta's disclosure on 22 March, Defra and the Food Standards Agency have been working with the European Commission and the US authorities to gain information on whether or not any contaminated maize has been imported into the UK. We continue to monitor the situation closely.
	We have written to maize importers to remind them of the need to check imports of maize and other crops for the presence of GMOs which have not been authorised in the European Union. It is for EU and UK importers to satisfy themselves that imported maize grain and derived products are approved for use and if material is GM that it is appropriately labelled. Our GM Inspectorate and local authority inspectors oversee this process.
	We understand that the US authorities consider that Bt10 does not present any concerns for human or animal health. Bt10 maize does contain an antibiotic resistance marker gene (which is not present in Bt11). Although the antibiotic resistance marker is in the process of being phased out, the European Food Safety Authority has concluded that this antibiotic resistance marker gene would have minimal, if any, impact on human health if present in GM plants.
	I should stress that we take incidents of this kind seriously. We do monitor the supply chain records of GM imports and take immediate action if evidence or information indicates the presence of any unauthorized GM product. Our priority is to protect the consumer and environment and ensure there is informed consumer choice.

Green Lanes

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will ensure that the new Government policy and guidance on the vehicular use of green lanes outlined in Making the Best Byways' is open to public consultation for a 12-week period.

Alun Michael: Formal public consultation is more commonly carried out on policy or legislative proposals. Making the Best of Byways is intended as practical guidance. The draft revision was put together with the help of an advisory group including representatives from the Ramblers Association, Sustrans, the British Horse Society, English Nature, the Countryside Agency and the Countryside Council for Wales. The draft revision was also circulated for comment to a range of interest groups.

Hazardous Waste

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many UK hazardous waste landfills are licensed to receive contaminated soils.

Elliot Morley: There are nine authorised commercial hazardous landfill sites in England and Wales. Eight of these are authorised under Pollution Prevention and Control permits and the ninth is authorised under a Waste Management Licence.
	All of these landfill sites are currently operational and able to receive hazardous contaminated soils.

Huddersfield

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out, with statistical information relating as directly as possible to the Huddersfield constituency, the effects on Huddersfield of her Department's policies and actions since 2 May 1997.

Alun Michael: Defra publishes a wide range of statistical information relating to its policies and actions and the following web address will take you directly to the service: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/default. asp. In addition, the Office of National Statistics also publishes further information that you can access from its website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk.
	Since its establishment in 2001 Defra has put in place a comprehensive programme of action on issues including sustainable development, climate change and .energy, sustainable consumption and production, natural resource protection, sustainable rural communities, and a sustainable farming and food sector. I am confident that the Huddersfield constituency will have benefited from these but it is not possible to systematically quantify those benefits to a constituency level. The difficulties of such geographical analyses are set out by the Office of National Statistics at the following address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/default.asp.
	The following information may help provide a word picture of the way Defra's work benefits Huddersfield.
	Waste: Through our national strategy for waste we are committed to delivering a step change to more sustainable waste management, including tough national targets to recycle or compost 17 per cent. of household waste by 200304, and 25 per cent. by 200506. To help local authorities achieve their own targets Defra's Waste Minimisation Fund was set up in 2002. As a result of successful bids for money from this fund by Kirklees metropolitan council a total of almost 1.2 million was used for projects which have seen extra green wheeled bins being provided to 140,000 households across Kirklees, including Huddersfield itself. This, together with a waste reduction and reuse awareness raising campaign, also funded by Defra, has enabled Kirklees to double its recycling and composting rate from 7 per cent. in 199899 to reach its statutory target of 14 per cent. in 200304.
	River Water Quality has improved along the Kirklees rivers, including the Rivers Colne and Holme in Huddersfield over recent years. While 75 per cent. of the rivers' lengths within the Kirklees area were already considered to be of fair or better chemical quality in 1997, by 2003 this had risen to 95 per cent. The improvements in the biological quality of the rivers has been even more rapid with the percentage of river length of fair quality or better rising from 4.0 per cent. in 1995 to 75 per cent. in 2003. These improvements reflect Defra's policy to improve river water quality, which is one of the headline indicators of sustainable development and to raise compliance with the EC water framework directive.
	Flood Defences: With grant support from Defra the Environment Agency has undertaken maintenance and improvement of flood defences around the Huddersfield area and has invested 30 million in new defences in the past 1015 years across Kirklees as a whole. The Environment Agency also now offers a flood warning service for residents and businesses at high and medium risk of flooding through Huddersfield.
	Rural Environment: The most important agri-environment scheme delivered by Defra's Rural Development Service in the Huddersfield area constituency is the Countryside Stewardship Scheme (CSS). It aims are to help to conserve and improve the rural environment. There are three CSS agreements in the constituency; the total area of land on these three holdings is 123.42ha, of which 22.12ha is under agreement. In terms of specific payments we have been able to isolate expenditure under the common agricultural policy and a list of payments by constituency is available in the Library of the House following the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Knowsley North and Sefton East (Mr. Howarth) on 4 April 2005, Official Report, columns 114950W. It is noted in these figures that payments to customers are reported on the basis of requested business address which may differ from the location of farming activity.
	Common Agricultural Policy
	Payments to farm-based schemes in the Huddersfield constituency for the 2004 European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) accounting year which ran from 16 October 2003 to 15 October 2004 amount to 146,410.85.
	The schemes included are the Arable Area Payment, Beef Special Premium, Suckler Cow Premium, Extensification Premium, Slaughter Premium, Sheep Annual Premium, Over Thirty Months Slaughter, England Rural Development Programme and Structural Funds (which are monies made available by EAGGF to contribute to the economic development of disadvantaged regions within Europe).

Litter

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many litter abatement orders have been served.

Alun Michael: We cannot provide comprehensive figures since there is no requirement for the service of litter abatement orders to be reported to Defra, but we are aware that at least one abatement order has been served.

Litter

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps an individual can take to encourage local authorities to fulfil their responsibilities in relation to litter and detritus.

Alun Michael: Under section 91 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990, an individual can complain to a magistrates court if aggrieved by the defacement, by litter or refuse, of land that a local authority has a duty to keep clear under section 89 of that Act. If the magistrates are satisfied that the land in question is defaced, they can issue a litter abatement order requiring the local authority to clear the land of litter and refuse within a time specified in the order. It is an offence to fail to comply with a litter abatement order.
	An individual can also complain to a local authority using its standard complaint procedures. Many local authorities have set up call centres or hotlines to which their residents can report local environmental quality issues. If the local authority does not have a complaints procedure, or the individual is not satisfied with the action the council takes, he or she can complain to the Local Government Ombudsman who investigates maladministration by local authorities.

Litter

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with her Department's agencies on measures to tackle litter in the countryside.

Alun Michael: The appropriate agencies were consulted about the measures in the Clean Neighbourhoods and Environment Bill, but there have been no discussions with them specifically on litter, which is primarily the responsibility of local authorities. The Department sponsors ENCAMS to promote campaigning on environmental issues, including campaigns to combat litter and ENCAMS works closely with local government on such issues. The Department has increased support for ENCAMS in parallel to providing additional tools to local authorities to enable them to increase their effectiveness in tackling local environmental issues including litter.

Litter

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has had with companies that use large quantities of food wrapping paper on (a) mechanisms to persuade customers not to cause litter and (b) using biodegradable materials to reduce litter.

Elliot Morley: On 22 November 2004 the Government launched its Voluntary Code of Practice for Food on the Go'the aim of which is to reduce the amount of food related waste that becomes litter in the local environment. This followed over two years of extensive research into the problem and detailed consultation with both businesses that sell food for immediate consumption, and the industry bodies that represent them.
	The voluntary code sets out a series of recommendations for joint action between businesses and local authorities. These include measures to minimise packaging by using biodegradable materials in its production, asking customers if they require a bag, and displaying anti littering messaging on packaging. This is complemented by recommendations on the implementation of education and community engagement initiatives, and the local authority's enforcement regime.

Livestock Burial

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she is taking against those farmers who continue to engage in on-farm burial of livestock.

Ben Bradshaw: The scheme is voluntary and farmers may dispose of their fallen stock outside of the scheme providing the method used meets with the requirements of the Animal By-Products Regulation (Regulation (EC) No. 1774/2002).
	Where on-farm burial continues we would expect local enforcement agencies to investigate and, where necessary, take appropriate action against the person or persons responsible.

Lobsters

Alan Beith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when the Department's proposed prohibition on the landing of berried hen lobsters is planned to come into force; whether she is still considering representations on this issue; and what assessment she has made of whether the scheme is needed in areas where the landing of v-notched or multilateral lobsters is prohibited.

Ben Bradshaw: I announced my intention to ban the landing, carriage and storage of berried lobsters last year. A technical consultation will take place shortly with interested parties.
	I know that there is support for the continuation of local v-notch schemes (where mature female lobsters are given protection through a notch being cut in the shell, and it being illegal to land such a lobster), either in conjunction with, or instead of this ban. We are currently preparing draft legislation for consultation with a view to ensuring that this ban will not preclude the continuation of local v-notch schemes.

Milk Quota

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether she expects that the UK will be able to fulfil its milk quota for the last financial year; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: Although the quota year ended on 31 March, the Rural Payments Agency will not know the final position on milk supply against quota until July. This is because there has been the usual end-of-year quota transfer activity and all of these transfers have to be processed. Once this has been done, milk purchasers and direct sellers have to provide details of production. Temporary conversions of quota (from wholesale to direct sale and vice versa) have to be processed, and finally any spare quota will be reallocated to producers who have been affected by herd restrictions (such as those producers who have herds affected by TB).
	Once all of these processes have been completed the Rural Payments Agency will issue a statement on whether production has met quota and whether a levy is due.

Ministerial Engagements

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if the Minister for Nature Conservation and Fisheries will list his official engagements up to the Easter recess.

Margaret Beckett: holding answer 10 February 2005
	The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is to place on its website at regular intervals lists of the official public engagements undertaken by all Defra Ministers. Details of future engagements are not normally released for security reasons.

NIREX

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how the operations of Nirex will be (a) overseen and (b) funded under the new management arrangements.

Elliot Morley: Since 1 April 2005, the shares of United Kingdom Nirex Limited (Nirex) have been held by a new company limited by guarantee (CLG), jointly owned by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Department of Trade and Industry. The CLG board will oversee the operations of Nirex in accordance with a business plan agreed with the company each year. Day-to-day management of Nirex, in accordance with the business plan, will be the responsibility of the Nirex board. Under the new arrangements over 90 per cent. of the funding for Nirex work will be provided under a contract with the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA), with the remainder coming from the continuing memorandum of understanding with the Ministry of Defence, and individual contracts with waste producers for advice on its conditioning and packaging.

North Durham

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out, including statistical information relating as directly as possible to the constituency, the effect on North Durham constituency of her Department's policies since June 2001.

Alun Michael: Defra publishes a wide range of statistical information relating to its policies and actions and the following web address will take you directly to the service: http://statistics.defra.gov.uk/esg/default. asp. In addition, the Office of National Statistics also publishes further information that you can access from its website: http://www.statistics.gov.uk
	Since its establishment in 2001 Defra has put in place a comprehensive programme of action on issues including sustainable development, climate change and energy, sustainable consumption and production, natural resource protection, sustainable rural communities, and a sustainable farming and food sector. I am confident that the North Durham constituency will have benefited from these but it is not possible to systematically quantify those benefits to a constituency level. The difficulties of such geographical analyses are set out by the Office of National Statistics at the following address: http://www.statistics.gov.uk/geography/default.asp.
	The following information may help provide a word picture of the way Defra's work benefits North Durham.
	Through our national strategy for waste we are committed to delivering a step change to more sustainable waste management, including tough national targets to recycle or compost 17 per cent. of household waste by 200304, and 25 per cent. by 200506. The districts of Chester le Street and Derwentside continue to make a contribution to achieving these national recycling targets and have exceeded regional targets set at 10 per cent. for 200304. The districts' recycling performance in 200304, the most recent year for which data is available, were 12 per cent. and 14 per cent. respectively, an improvement for each council of 5 per cent.
	The policy initiatives flowing from the Rural White Paper had a major impact on people in rural and urban fringe locations. North Durham constituents will have benefited from a living, working and vibrant countryside surrounding the towns of Stanley and Chester le Street. The Rural Strategy published in July 2004, builds on the success of the White Paper and aims to give the people of North Durham a greater say in the delivery of services.
	The Modernising Rural Delivery pathfinder initiative is a key part of the Government's Rural Strategy and is designed to test and share, at a local authority level, good practice on the Government's commitment to devolve decision-making and resources to the local level. In October, I announced seven rural pathfinders in England, and I announced the final pathfinder in the West Durham area more recently. The North East pathfinder will ensure greater co-ordination of rural delivery programmes testing new and innovative methods to bring about improvements in the delivery of services to rural communities and businesses. Whilst not directly located in the pathfinder area, I expect that the lessons learned will be shared across the constituency, the North East Region and nationally.
	West County Durham is an area steeped in a rich social, industrial and natural heritage. I am pleased that the Department is involved in the Mineral Valleys Project, which covers an area of 89,000 hectares, aims to use environment-led regeneration to help local communities celebrate their heritage whilst enhancing the environment around them. The Mineral Valleys Partnership that includes 50 businesses, statutory, community and voluntary organisations, led by English Nature and supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund, has been successful in putting a 5.2 million programme together to make this vision a reality. This exciting project has resulted in a number of positive environmental outcomes for the constituency including the Saving Stanley Burn and Woods Project, an Otter Holt at Chester le Street and the creation of wetland at Chester Moor.
	In terms of specific payments we have been able to isolate expenditure under the common agricultural policy and a list of payments by constituency is available in the Library of the House following the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Knowsley North and Sefton East (Mr. Howarth) on 4 April 2005, Official Report, columns 114950W. It is noted in these figures that payments to customers are reported on the basis of requested business address which may differ from the location of farming activity.
	Common Agricultural Policy
	Payments to farm-based schemes in the North Durham constituency for the 2004 European Agricultural Guidance and Guarantee Fund (EAGGF) accounting year which ran from 16 October 2003 to 15 October 2004 amount to 1,031,592.59.
	The schemes included are the Arable Area Payment, Beef Special Premium, Suckler Cow Premium, Extensification Premium, Slaughter Premium, Sheep Annual Premium, Over Thirty Months Slaughter, England Rural Development Programme and Structural Funds (which are monies made available by EAGGF to contribute to the economic development of disadvantaged regions within Europe).

Pet Markets

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the scientific basis is of her decision to permit within the terms of the proposed Animal Welfare Bill the reintroduction of the pet markets prohibited under the 1983 amendments to the Pet Animals Act 1951.

Ben Bradshaw: The scope of the prohibition on pet markets and similar events in public places under the Pet Animals Act 1951 (as amended 1983) is in our view in need of clarification. That is one of the aims of the proposed secondary regulation under the Animal Welfare Bill. We will be conducting a public consultation on the proposed regulation in due course.

Pet Markets

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to make a decision on whether to make available the relevant background information derived from consultations relating to her decision to legalise the selling of pet animals, birds and reptiles in markets and other public places in response to requests made under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Ben Bradshaw: We have received a number of requests on the issue of pet fairs under the Freedom of Information Act (FOI) and the Environmental Information Regulations (EIRs). Defra endeavours to answer all these enquiries within the statutory 20 working day time limit. Where cases are more complex the enquirer is informed that the time limit is being extended for an additional 20 working days. In rare circumstances raising particularly complex issues, some responses may be delayed beyond this, although Defra will respond as quickly as possible. A response to one particularly complex case under the Freedom of Information Act has just been released. We regret that the complexity of this case led to a delay in responding.

Sewers and Drains

Andy King: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will require that all sewers and drains are laid by suitably qualified persons.

Elliot Morley: A protocol for the construction of new sewers was established in 2002. Its aim is to put into practice a common approach for the design and construction for new development, to enable wider adoption of sewers in England and Wales.
	A review of the effectiveness of the protocol was recently undertaken on the Department's behalf. Its findings indicate that developers are not always adhering to the protocol. The Government are now considering the results of this review and its possible implications for the current arrangements for the construction of sewers.
	I understand that Energy and Utility Skills Ltd., the Sector Skills Council whose purpose is to identify the skill needs of employers and provide effective training solutions in the electricity, gas, waste management and water industries, offers a 13 week ambition energy programme. This has been designed for operators who are involved in the maintenance of the sewerage infrastructure.

Sewers and Drains

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the Government's proposals to transfer ownership of private sewers and lateral drains from property owners to local water companies.

Elliot Morley: The Government published a response to their consultationReview of Existing Private Sewers and Drains in England and Walesin October 2004. 81 per cent. of respondents favoured a change of ownership, and of these, 90 per cent. held the view that sewerage undertakers should take over responsibility. The Government acknowledged the strength of support for this solution and undertook to look into it in more depth.
	My Department also recently held a seminar with stakeholders to look at sustainable options for a potential transfer. Further information on the seminar is available on the Department's website at:
	http://defraweb/environment/water/industrv/sewers/existing/index.htm
	The Government intend to publish a decision paper this summer, but do not rule out the need to consult further on the scope and form of a potential transfer.

Sewers and Drains

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has conducted into the state of the sewers that it will be transferring to water companies; and what representations from water companies have been received on the proposed changes.

Elliot Morley: Defra's consultants, WS Atkins, conducted an extensive research project looking at the extent and condition of private sewers in England and Wales prior to the publication of the consultation paper in 2003. UKWIR, the water industry research body, also undertook their own research. I must emphasise that a final decision on whether private sewers should be transferred to water companies has not yet been made. A number of issues and practicalities need to be resolved including the scope of any transfer and the form it might take.
	The Department chairs a Steering Group, of which Water UK are members, which is currently considering sustainable options for the way forward on private sewers.

Sewers and Drains

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment her Department has made of whether average household water bills will increase to take account of the costs to water companies consequent on obtaining ownership of sewers and lateral drains.

Elliot Morley: The Department acknowledges the importance of cost implications for customers. Defra is working with Ofwat in order to further examine the potential impacts on customers bills, and some modelling work is currently under way.
	Funding of any possible transfer is an important issue that needs to be considered very carefully. Phasing or a gradual approach is among the approaches to implementation of options that might be considered in order to mitigate the impact of any increases.

Single Farm Payment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of incorrect maps being used for the purposes of the single farm payment have occurred; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: There have been no cases of the wrong maps being used for the purposes of the single payment scheme (SPS). Where the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) has sent maps to potential claimants or they have advised RPA of changes and problems have arisen, RPA is resolving them with the farmers before any processing is done for SPS.

SSSIs

Joan Ruddock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for how many sites of special scientific interest (SSSI) in England conservation objectives have been prepared in accordance with the requirements set out in guidance issued by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee in 2003 on Common Standards Monitoring for SSSIs; and when she expects conservation objectives to be completed for all SSSIs in England.

Ben Bradshaw: There are a total of 4,117 sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs) in England and conservation objectives have been completed by English Nature for 1,436 of these sites. English Nature's corporate target is for conservation objectives to be in place on all remaining SSSIs by March 2009 and a structured programme is in place to achieve this.

Supermarkets

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with the Department for Trade and Industry on the recent Office of Fair Trading findings on supermarkets.

Alun Michael: Officials from the Department discussed the Office of Fair Trading's paper on the audit of the supermarket Code of Practice and related competition issues with colleagues in the Department of Trade and Industry at the time of its publication.
	The paper gives the Office of Fair Trading's preliminary views on the audit and on wider concerns that have been raised about competition in the grocery market and invites comments and evidence on both. We encourage all those who have views on these issues to respond to this invitation.
	The paper also welcomes the National Farmers Union's proposal for a voluntary Buyer's Charter that would cover all key aspects of trading relationships between suppliers and their customers throughout the food chain. We support this initiative and have encouraged all sections of the food chain, whether they be retailers, processors or manufacturers, to work positively with the National Farmers Union to develop the proposal.

Traffic Regulation Orders

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the expected issue date for advice on the pre-emptive use of traffic regulation orders, as set out in paragraph 12 of the document Use of mechanically propelled vehicles on rights of way: The Government's framework for action.

Alun Michael: Advice and practical examples on the use of pre-emptive traffic regulation orders for local authorities will be included in both the revision to the departmental publication Making the Best of Byways and new enforcement guidance. These publications will be available shortly and copies will be placed in the Library of the House.

Travel Costs

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the total travel costs to her Department have been for (a) Ministers, (b) special advisers and (c) officials for each year since 1997.

Margaret Beckett: In respect of overseas travel by Ministers, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing 500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House.
	The Department has published rules for official travel in its staff handbook and ministerial travel is governed by the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.
	It is not possible to break-down travel costs further in the way requested without incurring disproportionate cost.

Waste

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had with local authorities concerning Schedule 2 of the Statutory Controlled Waste Regulations 1992; and what guidance she has issued to local authorities on that schedule.

Elliot Morley: Guidance was issued (Circular 14/92) 1 at the time of the publication of the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992. Defra has more recently (October 2004) 2 issued further guidance to local authorities on the management of asbestos waste from domestic property, a waste type specified within Schedule 2 of the Controlled Waste Regulations 1992.
	I am not aware that my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, has held any discussions with local authorities concerning Schedule 2.
	1 Circular 14/92 (Department of the Environment) The Environmental Protection Act 1990Parts II and IV The Controlled Waste Regulations 1992.
	2 Correspondence to the chief executive of all waste collection authorities, waste disposal authorities and joint waste disposal authorities in England on the management of asbestos waste from domestic property also available on the Defra website at http://defraweb/environment/waste/localauth/pdf/asbestos-domestic. pdf

Waste Management Licensing Regulations

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the timetable for alteration of paragraph 7 of Schedule 3 to the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994.

Elliot Morley: The Waste Management Licensing (England  Wales) (Amendment and Related Provisions) Regulations 2005 (SI number 883) were laid before Parliament on the 23 March 2005. These regulations will come into force on 1 July 2005. Amendments to paragraph 7 of Schedule 3 to the Waste Management Licensing Regulations 1994 are included in these regulations.

Waste Recycling

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of waste collected in City of York has been recycled in each year since 199697; what financial assistance has been provided by the Government to York for recycling in that period; and what policies the Government has adopted to encourage local authorities to increase recycling rates.

Elliot Morley: The proportion 1 of household waste sent for recycling or composting for City of York in each year since 199667 is presented in the following table:
	
		
			  Percentage of household waste sent for recycling or composting for City of York 
		
		
			 199697 4 
			 199899 6 
			 19992000 10 
			 200001 9 
			 200102 10 
			 200203 12 
			 200304 (18)15 
		
	
	(18)MWMS Data for 200304 are not yet available. Best Value Performance Indicator data (for the percentage of household waste sent for recycling or composting) are usually a good indicator for Defra's MWMS and are included here.
	Source:
	Defra's Municipal Waste Management Survey (MWMS)
	The City of York was allocated 350,000 in 200405 from Defra's Waste Minimisation and Recycling Fund for the relocation and upgrading of a Recycling and Reuse Centre and 145,789.54 in 200506 from Defra's Waste Performance and Efficiency Grant. This supplements Revenue Support Grants through the Environmental, Protective and Cultural Services block.
	To increase recycling, the Government has set each local authority in England Statutory Performance Standards for recycling and composting of household waste for 200304 and 200506 and requires waste collection authorities, subject to certain exemptions, to provide a kerbside collection service of at least two recyclable materials by 2010.
	The new Landfill Tax escalator and the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme, both introduced on 1 April 2005 will also encourage local authorities to divert biodegradable municipal waste from landfill.
	The UK Packaging Regulations requiring producers to recover and recycle rising target levels of packaging waste each year will also increasingly encourage recycling of household packaging waste.
	Government is currently reviewing the existing local authority recycling and composting targets including consideration of the potential for further targets to be set in future.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Diabetes (Public Service Recruits)

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures have been put in place by the Police Service of Northern Ireland to medically assess people with diabetes who apply to join the service.

Paul Murphy: I regret that it has not been possible to answer this question before Prorogation. However, I will respond to the hon. Gentleman in writing. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Births (Londonderry)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many children living in East Londonderry constituency have been born since 1 September 2002.

Ian Pearson: The numbers of births registered between 1 September 2002 and 31 December 2004 to mothers resident in East Londonderry parliamentary constituency are given in the table.
	
		Number of births registered for East Londonderry parliamentary constituency by registration period,September 2002-December 2004
		
			 Registration period Births 
		
		
			 1 September to 31 December 2002 345 
			 1 January to 31 December 2003 1,089 
			 1 January to 31 December 2004 (Provisional) 1,095 
			 Total 2,529 
		
	
	These figures do not take into account population migration or deaths of young children. Detailed 2004 population estimates for the East Londonderry parliamentary constituency will be published later in the year.

Business Support

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent in each of the last four years in Government grants to support business in Northern Ireland.

Barry Gardiner: The hon. Gentleman will receive a response to this question as soon as possible. However, I apologise that it has not been possible to provide this information before Prorogation. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

CAP Payments

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the 100 largest payments made through the common agricultural policy to farms or enterprises in Northern Ireland for 200304, broken down by (a) recipients and (b) amounts received.

Ian Pearson: It has not been possible to provide the information requested by the hon. Gentleman before Prorogation.

Child Care

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funds have been added to the Northern Ireland budget as a result of the Chancellor's commitments to early years and child care funding.

Ian Pearson: In accordance with the Treasury's Statement of Funding Policy, additional allocations to Northern Ireland are determined via the application of the Barnett formula to overall changes in planned total spending by UK departments.

Civil Servants

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many civil servants from his Department have (a) faced disciplinary proceedings as a result of allegations of theft, (b) been charged with theft and (c) been dismissed following theft allegations in each year since 1997.

Ian Pearson: The information requested is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of staff faced disciplinary proceedings following allegation of theft Number of staff charged with theft Number of staff dismissed following theft allegations 
		
		
			 1997 0   
			 1998 0   
			 1999 0   
			 2000 1  1 
			 2001 0   
			 2002 0   
			 2003 0   
			 2004 0   
		
	
	The information in the table relates only to the Northern Ireland Office and not the 11 departments of the Northern Ireland Administration.

Construction Industry

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the effect on the number of apprentices entering the construction industry of the costs to businesses of premiums for insuring trainees.

Barry Gardiner: It has not been possible to provide the information requested by the hon. Gentleman before Prorogation.

Decommissioning Commission

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the annual (a) salaries paid to and (b) allowances claimed by members of the Decommissioning Commission in each year since its formation.

Paul Murphy: I apologise for not being in a position to answer this question before Prorogation. However, I will respond to the hon. Lady in writing. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Cross-Border Implementation Bodies

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the budget was for the Cross-Border Implementation Bodies for each of the last 10years; what percentage change has taken place in these budgets in each year; and what proportion of the budget of each was contributed by the Government in each year.

Ian Pearson: The North/South Implementation Bodies were established on 2 December 1999 and details of the relevant budgets, annual percentage changes and the Northern Ireland share of the budgets for each year since then are provided in the following table.
	
		
			   North/south implementation bodies budgets(19) 
			   Year ended 31 December 
			 Body  2000(20) 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 
		
		
			 Foyle Carlingford and Irish Lights Commission
			  Budget  million 2.9 3.85 4.18 3.20 3.20 3.67 
			  Percentage change  33 9 -23 0 15 
			  Percentage NI share 17 20 34 50 50 50 
			 Waterways Ireland
			  Budget  million 11.3 18.82 21.99 22.61 31.70 34.16 
			  Percentage change  67 17 3 40 8 
			  Percentage NI share 12 12 17 35 32 35 
			 The Trade and Business Development Body
			  Budget  million 7.7 8.63 9.52 9.00 9.00 9.27 
			  Percentage change  12 10 -5 0 3 
			  Percentage NI share 40 33 33 33 33 33 
			 Special EU Programmes Body
			  Budget  million 2.0 1.2 1.75 2.02 2.02 2.195 
			  Percentage change  -40 46 15 0 9 
			  Percentage NI share 20 50 50 56 56 56 
			 The North/South Language Body
			  Budget  million 7.1 11.42 11.97 11.33 14.6 14.7 
			  Percentage change  61 5 -5 29 1 
			  Percentage NI share 32 31 31 31 31 31 
			 The Food Safety Promotion Board
			  Budget  million 3.0 4.87 4.96 5.42 6.08 6.16 
			  Percentage change  62 2 9 12 1 
			  Percentage NI share 26 30 30 30 30 30 
		
	
	(19)The budget figures quoted are the initial approved annual budgets and do not include any additional non-recurrent allocations that may have been agreed through the in-year monitoring process.
	(20)Figures cover the period 2 December 1999 to 31 December 2000.

Departmental Expenditure

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by his Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case.

Paul Murphy: This information is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of travel within the UK for the Department was in each year since 1997; and how much of this was spent on (a) hire cars, (b) helicopter hire, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence.

John Spellar: Information is only available from 200102. Costs of (a) , (b) , (c) and (d) cannot be disaggregated from the overall totals.
	Overall costs of travel to the Northern Ireland Office (excluding it's Agencies and NDPBs) are as follows.
	
		
			   
		
		
			 200304 3,264,162.87 
			 200203 3,335,550.55 
			 200102 2,465,438.08 
		
	
	Overall costs of overnight subsistence, which includes hotel accommodation are as follows.
	
		
			   
		
		
			 200304 456,727.54 
			 200203 441,383.02 
			 200102 330,087.03 
		
	
	This information relates to the Northern Ireland Office and does not include the 11 departments of the Northern Ireland administration.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many overseas trips, and at what total cost, have been made by his Department in each year since 1997; and what the costs of (a) flights, (b) internal travel, (c) hotel accommodation and (d) subsistence were of each trip.

Paul Murphy: Information is not held in the format requested.
	Information relating to overseas travel by Ministers is published on an annual basis. Information for the period 2 May 1997 to 31 March 2004 is available in the Library of the House. Information for the financial year 200405 will be published as soon as possible at the end of the current financial year.
	All official travel complied with the requirements of the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Fixed Penalty Fines

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, how many fixed penalty fines for driving offences have been issued in the last three years in the Province; and what revenue was raised from such fines in each year.

Paul Murphy: It has not been possible to answer the hon. Gentleman's question before Prorogation.

Human Rights Commission

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans there are to increase funding for the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission.

John Spellar: The baseline funding for the Commission is currently 1.3 million and will rise to 1.35 in the next financial year.

Jordanstown Swimming Pool

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the closure of the University of Ulster's Jordanstown swimming pool.

Barry Gardiner: The University of Ulster is an independent, autonomous institution responsible for its own policies, practices and estates management. The decision to close the pool was taken for operational reasons, based on considerations of health and safety and economic viability.
	The University of Ulster is currently conducting a consultation process, in line with the recommendation of the University's Visitor, Sir Ronald Weatherup, with the representatives of the former users of the pools, those affected by the closure decision such as Newtownabbey borough council and North Eastern Education and Library Board and other interested parties.

Long-term Care (Benefits)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the entitlement to full state pension and other relevant benefits of patients receiving long-term care in hospitals announced in the Budget extends to patients in Northern Ireland.

John Spellar: I can confirm that the reduction in pensions and certain other benefits, which applies where a person has been in hospital for more than 52 weeks, will also be abolished in Northern Ireland.

Ministerial Duties

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many full days each Northern Ireland Minister was on duty in the Province during each of the last 12 months.

Paul Murphy: The number of days that each Northern Ireland Minister was on duty in Northern Ireland in each of the last 12 months was as follows:
	
		
			  Paul Murphy John Spellar Ian Pearson Angela Smith Barry Gardiner 
		
		
			 March 10 13 15 16  
			 April 16 8 9 11 9 
			 May 13 12 13 12 7 
			 June 13 11 16 5 11 
			 July 10 8 15 11 6 
			 August 8 6 10 11 6 
			 September 15 14 13 5 7 
			 October 8 9 11 10 12 
			 November 15 12 14 16 10 
			 December 14 7 4 8 6 
			 January 14 7 12 4 10 
			 February 13 9 9 10 13

Ministerial Duties

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many days each Minister in his Department has spent on duty in the Province in the last 12 months.

Paul Murphy: The number of days that each Northern Ireland Minister was on duty in Northern Ireland in each of the last 12 months was as follows:
	
		
			  Paul Murphy John Spellar Ian Pearson Angela Smith Barry Gardiner 
		
		
			 March 10 13 15 16  
			 April 16 8 9 11 9 
			 May 13 12 13 12 7 
			 June 13 11 16 5 11 
			 July 10 8 15 11 6 
			 August 8 6 10 11 6 
			 September 15 14 13 5 7 
			 October 8 9 11 10 12 
			 November 15 12 14 16 10 
			 December 14 7 4 8 6 
			 January 14 7 12 4 10 
			 February 13 9 9 10 13

Newry and Mourne (Regeneration)

David Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much money was spent by each Government Department in the Newry and Mourne district council area on (a) urban regeneration and (b) economic development in each of the last five years.

Barry Gardiner: The right hon. Gentleman will receive a response to this question as soon as possible. However, I apologise that it has not been possible to collate this information before Prorogation. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Nutts Corner

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has for the improvement of the racing and customer facilities at Nutts Corner racing circuit.

Angela Smith: Plans for improving the racing and customer facilities at Nutts Corner racing circuit is a matter for the owners of the facility, Antrim borough council. However, the Sports Council for Northern Ireland and the Northern Ireland Tourist Board can provide advice and assistance to Antrim borough council in planning for the improvement of racing and customer facilities at Nutts Corner racing circuit should it be required.

Pensioner Households (Additional Payments)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 22 March 2005, Official Report, column 706W, on Northern Ireland, whether persons in Northern Ireland whose 65thbirthday falls on 6 October will qualify for the additional 200 payment to over 65 pensioner ratepayer households equivalent to that in Great Britain.

John Spellar: As the qualifying week for the 200 payment is 19 to 25 September 2005, a person whose 65thbirthday falls on 6 October will not qualify for the payment.

Pensions

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions he has had with (a) the Irish Government and (b) ICI on pension arrangements for former employees of Richardson's Fertilisers Belfast (Irish Fertiliser Industries); and if he will make a statement.

Barry Gardiner: The hon. Gentleman will receive a response to this question as soon as possible. However, I apologise that it has not been possible to collate this information before Prorogation. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Police Service

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether the Police Service of Northern Ireland has adopted the colour vision requirements arising from his Department's review of the medical assessment process for police recruits.

Paul Murphy: I apologise for not being in a position to answer this question before Prorogation. However, I will respond to the hon. Lady in writing. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Police Service

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the average Police Service of Northern Ireland response time to emergency calls was in (a) North Down District Command Unit (DCU) area and (b) each other DCU in Northern Ireland in each of the past 12 months.

Ian Pearson: The Police Service of Northern Ireland does not currently record the response times to emergency calls, however these form part of the forthcoming policing plan for 200506.

Polling Stations (Disabled Access)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many designated polling stations in each constituency in the Province have purpose-built wheelchair access; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: I apologise for not being in a position to answer this question before prorogation. However I will write to the hon. Lady. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Postage

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent on postage by the Department in each year since 1997.

Paul Murphy: The Northern Ireland Office (excluding its Agencies and NDPBs) has spent the following on postage since 1997:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 199798 99,438 
			 199899 88,299 
			 19992000 118,961 
			 200001 84,132 
			 200102 144,506 
			 200203 260,606 
			 200304 265,356

Roads

David Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether improvements to (a) the A24 road between Belfast and Carryduff and (b) the A7 road between Carryduff and Saintfield are planned over the next two years.

John Spellar: The Chief Executive of Roads Service (Dr. Malcolm McKibbin) has been asked to write to the hon. Gentleman in response to this question.
	Letter from Dr. Malcolm McKibbin to Mr. David Trimble, dated 6 April 2005
	You recently asked the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland a Parliamentary Question, whether improvements to (a) the A24 road between Belfast and Carryduff and (b) the A7 road between Carryduff and Saintfield are planned over the next two years (222122). I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as Chief Executive of Roads Service.
	Our Eastern Division is undertaking a programme of assessment of strategic routes to identify what improvements may be needed in the context of each overall route. The A24 and A7 will form part of this assessment programme however, apart from ongoing routine and structural maintenance, currently Roads Service has no specific planned improvements to these roads over the next two years.
	A potential scheme to provide an overtaking lane on the A7 between Carryduff and Saintfield at Glassdrumman, has been identified and will be progressed subject to the availability of funds.
	You may be aware that Roads Service has already completed a number of schemes on the Carryduff to Downpatrick route, which have provided increased carriageway and verge width, improved forward sight distances and designated overtaking opportunities.
	In conclusion, I can assure you that we remain committed to the further improvement and upgrading of the roads infrastructure in this are and along this route in particular.
	I hope this information is helpful.

RUC Reserve

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many members of the Part-Time RUC Reserve resigned as a result of intimidation or other terrorist activity during the Troubles.

Ian Pearson: Information held on the PSNI Human Resources system indicates that nine members of the Part-Time Reserve left the service giving the reason as Threatened. However, this figure cannot be regarded as definitive as specific reasons for leaving are not always provided.

Sinn Fein/IRA

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much of the fine imposed by the Government on Sinn Fein/IRA in April 2004 has been paid since the first report of the Independent Monitoring Commission.

Paul Murphy: Following the first report by the Independent Monitoring Commission, I directed that Sinn Fein should not receive the financial assistance payable to Northern Ireland political parties for 12months from 29 April. No such payments have been made to Sinn Fein, In the light of the IMC's report on the Northern bank robbery, I have directed that Sinn Fein will not receive financial assistance for a further 12months, from 29 April 2005.

Source of Leak

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, what progress has been made in identifying the source of the leak within the Police Service Northern Ireland or the Police Ombudsman's office to the Press Association in December 2004 in relation to the case communicated to him on 31 January.

Paul Murphy: It has not been possible to answer the hon. Lady's question before Prorogation.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many complaints were made by departmental civil servants regarding the conduct of special advisers between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004.

Paul Murphy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the former Minister for the Cabinet Office on 8 December 2004, Official Report, column 578W.

Teachers

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost of teachers progressing to point 2 of the Upper Pay Spine has been over the past three years.

Barry Gardiner: Eligible teachers have been able to progress to UPS 2 with effect from 1 September 2003 following agreement between the teacher unions and employers to a Performance Review and Staff Development Scheme (PRSD) and implementation plan in November 2004. All applications received for UPS 2 progression have now been paid but there remains a possibility that a relatively small number of teachers have still to make an application. It is therefore not possible to provide a final total cost of teachers progressing to point 2 of the Upper Pay Scale but it is expected to be in the region of 21 million to 22 million.

Teachers

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many students graduated in Northern Ireland in each of the last five years with teaching qualifications.

Barry Gardiner: I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answer I gave on 4 April 2005, Official Report, column 1307W.

Textile Industry

David Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what support the Government is making available to assist the (a) Saville Row textile company and (b) Northern Ireland textile industry; and what discussions have taken place regarding these matters.

Barry Gardiner: The right hon. Gentleman will receive a response to this question as soon as possible. However, I apologise that it has not been possible to provide this information before Prorogation. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Unallocated Spending

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what his latest estimate is of unallocated departmental spending in (a) 200506, (b) 200607, and (c) 200708; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Murphy: The Northern Ireland Office's estimate of unallocated departmental spending (Departmental Unallocated Provision [DUP]) in each of the years 200506 to 200708 is as follows:
	
		
			  Unallocated departmental spending (000) 
		
		
			 200506 41,502 
			 200607 0 
			 200708 0 
		
	
	As a result of the outcome of the Spending Review 2004, the Department has decided, in agreement with HM Treasury, to hold no unallocated provision in the years 200607 and 200708 in order to maximise funding available to its directorates, agencies and NDPBs.

Waste Disposal

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what alternatives to landfill for waste disposal are available in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: In the Northern Ireland Waste Management Strategy, the waste management hierarchy gives top priority to prevention and second priority to recoverywith a preference for re-use and material recovery insofar as they are the best environmental options. Disposal of waste is very much a last option.
	Landfill is the only disposal option currently available in Northern Ireland. However, the recent Best Practicable Environmental Option exercise to identify waste management solutions for Northern Ireland highlighted the need for thermal treatment by 2013. In addition, a range of other physical treatment options to recover and reuse material have been identified as an alternative to disposal.
	District councils continue to work towards increased recycling, and the Department of the Environment supports them in their roll-out of separate kerbside collections of recyclable and compostable material, thereby reducing the quantity of waste going for disposal.

Waste Disposal

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much waste was disposed of to landfill in Northern Ireland in the latest period for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: In 2002, 251,600 tonnes (40 per cent. of the total) of commercial and industrial waste were sent to landfill. A survey of commercial and industrial waste arisings in 2004 is planned for this year.
	In 2004, 871,000 tonnes (83 per cent. of the total) of municipal waste were sent to landfill. The total amount of municipal waste sent to landfill in 2004 has decreased by 3.4 per cent. from 2003.

Waste Disposal

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of whether Northern Ireland will reach its recycling targets under the Landfill Directive.

Angela Smith: The Landfill Directive sets targets for the reduction in the landfilling of Biodegradable Municipal Waste and performance against these targets is assessed through an annual performance report submitted to the Department of the Environment by each of the three regional Waste Management Groups.
	Good progress is being made and this has been reinforced by the Landfill Allowance Scheme (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2004 which will set yearly landfill limits for each district council to ensure that Northern Ireland meets these targets.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Attendance Allowance

Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether people resident in residential care homes are eligible to claim attendance allowance.

Maria Eagle: Local authorities are responsible for providing financial help with the costs of staying in a care home, including the cost of personal care. Attendance allowance is not payable to residents who receive any local authority help with their care home costs, but it can be paid to those who meet all their care home costs themselves, or receive only free nursing care.

Benefit Payment Methods

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will make a statement on payment mechanisms for state benefits.

Chris Pond: Direct payment into an account is now the normal way that we pay benefits and pensions, over 96 per cent. of customer accounts are now paid this way.
	Direct payment increases choice, reduces fraud and assures a safe, convenient, more modern and efficient way of paying benefits. It increases financial inclusion, and allows people to make savings on many of their bills by paying by direct debit. It also reduces waste in social security administrative costs and protects vulnerable customers.
	The small number of customers that cannot be paid this way will be paid by cheque, which can be cashed at the post office or paid into an account.

Benefits

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what action he proposes to take regarding benefits and direct payments being claimed by carers on behalf of claimants with particular reference to issues raised with the hon. Member for Gravesham (Mr.Pond) on BBC Radio 4 on 12 March;
	(2)  what representations he has received concerning difficulties faced by authorised third parties in cashing giro cheques at post offices on behalf of claimants; what discussions he has had with (a) the Post Office and (b) Alliance and Leicester on the issues; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: Cheque payments are designed for the small number of people who we cannot pay directly into an account. We settled on this solution following extensive consultation with customer representative groups. The cheque provides the facility for a third party (including a carer) to cash cheques under 450 on the customer's behalf at a Post Office and this facility has worked successfully for many years.
	We need to strike a balance between a customer's right to access their benefit or pension and the need to prevent the cheque being cashed by an unauthorised person without the customer's knowledge. For this reason the Post Office requires the third party presenting the cheque for encashment to produce evidence of both their own and the customer's identity.
	There is currently a wide range of forms of identification, which are acceptable to the Post Office to enable a carer or other person to cash a cheque on a customer's behalf. These are listed on the reverse of the cheque. In addition other forms of identification may be accepted at the discretion of the postmaster.
	Officials have obtained a report from Post Office Ltd. about the circumstances of the case raised with me on BBC Radio 4 on 12 March 2004. Neither the Department nor Post Office Ltd. have seen any evidence to suggest that there are widespread difficulties being faced by authorised third parties cashing cheques on behalf of customers. However, we will continue to monitor the situation closely and make improvements to the process if necessary.

Bereavement Benefits

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claims for bereavement benefits there were in each of the last five years; how many were submitted by individuals in receipt of incapacity benefit; and how many were successful in each case.

Chris Pond: holding answer 23 March 2005
	Bereavement Benefit was introduced in April 2001. Information on the number of claims is not available. The available information on the number of recipients is in the table.
	
		Bereavement Benefit recipients in Great Britain -- Number
		
			  2002 2003 2004 
		
		
			 All bereavement benefit recipients in Great Britain 36,300 43,600 45,300 
			 Widowed parents allowance recipients in Great Britain 13,400 20,100 25,300 
			 Bereavement allowance recipients in Great Britain 22,900 23,500 20,000 
			 Bereavement Benefit recipients also receiving IB/SDA 2,000 1,800 1,200 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Bereavement benefit data is taken as at March each year. Incapacity benefits data is taken as at February each year.
	2.Numbers are rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	3.Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disability allowance (SDA) figures include all IB, SDA and credits-only cases. The figures include those cases where IB/SDA entitlement is extinguished by the overlapping benefit rules.
	Source:
	Information Directorate, 5 per cent. sample

Child-related Benefits (Separated Parents)

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the implications for the Department for Work and Pensions of the ruling by the Court of Appeal that a separated father on jobseeker's allowance with a shared residence order for his children is entitled to claim child-related benefits, even though the mother is also in receipt of those benefits;
	(2)  if he will place in the Library a copy of the advice that he has received on the Court of Appeal's ruling in the case of Hockenjos v. Secretary of State for Social Security.

Chris Pond: The Department has lodged a petition of appeal with the House of Lords in this case. We are therefore unable to comment further at this time.

Civil Servants (Relocation)

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many civil servants in his Department have (a) been relocated and (b) been agreed for relocation in the last 12 months; and to which areas of the United Kingdom.

Maria Eagle: As announced in Spending Review 2004 as part of the Independent Review of Public Sector Relocation, the Department put forward proposals to relocate some 4,000 posts from London and the South East.
	By March 2005 the Department had relocated 2,344 posts from London and the South East. Posts have relocated to East Midlands, North East, North West, Yorkshire and the Humber regions, and to Scotland and Wales. Plans are in place to relocate the remaining posts by 2008.

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter of 9 March concerning a constituent.

Maria Eagle: A reply was sent to the hon. Member on 5 April.

Departmental Budget

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the planned (a) capital and (b) resource budget for his Department is for 201112.

Maria Eagle: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my hon. Friend the Financial Secretary to the Treasury (Mr. Timms) on 4 April 2005, Official Report, column 1170W.

Disabled People

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department is taking to help disabled people find employment.

Maria Eagle: There are a number of programmes, such as Access to Work, Work Preparation and Workstep designed to help disabled people return to work. Jobcentre Plus also offers interviews with a personal adviser to all disabled people making new or repeat claims to qualifying benefits to ensure they are aware of the help and opportunities available to them.
	Access to Work is a specialist disability programme, which provides practical advice and support to help disabled people enter or stay in paid employment.
	Work Preparation is an individually tailored, work-focused programme that enables disabled people to address barriers associated with their disability and prepare for working with the confidence necessary to achieve and sustain their job goal.
	Workstep provides support in jobs for disabled people who have more complex barriers to finding and keeping work but who, with the right support, can work effectively and develop in their job. Longer-term support continues to be available for those who need it and is a major element of the programme.
	Disabled people may also receive help through the new deal programme. New deal for disabled people is a voluntary programme which gives customers on qualifying disability or health-related benefits in England, Scotland and Wales access to a network of job brokers. Job brokers work with customers to help them compete in the labour market and support them in finding and keeping a job.
	Disabled people may also receive help through other new deal programmes such as the new deal for young people, new deal 25-plus, new deal 50-plus, and new deal for lone parents.

Invalidity Benefits

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assumptions have been made in the Government's medium-term forecasts in his Department's benefit expenditure tables with regard to the number of invalidity benefit claimants returning to work through the (a) the new deal for disabled people and (b) pathways to work in relation to (i) the number of recipients of invalidity benefit, severe disablement allowance and income support and (ii) expenditure from 200304 to 200708 on invalidity benefit, severe disablement allowance and income support for sick and disabled people.

Maria Eagle: holding answer 22 March 2005
	Future impacts of the new deal for disabled people and the pathways to work pilots are implicitly included in the forecasts of incapacity benefit (which replaced invalidity benefit in 1995), severe disablement allowance and income support recipients and expenditure included in the Department's benefit expenditure tables, which were published at the pre-Budget report.
	It is assumed that the impact of these policies, as far as they have affected the past flows on and off of benefit, will continue largely as observed in the past. As it is difficult to isolate the past impact of these policies separately from other factors which might have affected flows on and off of benefit, it is not possible to make explicit assumptions about their specific impact on the forecasts.
	The further roll-out of pathways to work in the future is not factored into the forecasts as it will not have affected recent trends.
	Revised expenditure forecasts, underpinning the Budget report, will be published during April.

Jobcentre Plus

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what minimum notice period Jobcentre Plus gives when cancelling contracts with employment and training providers;
	(2)  when the decision to review the timetable for letting Jobcentre Plus contracts for employment and training programmes in 2005 was taken; and what the reasons are for reviewing the timetable;
	(3)  what criteria Jobcentre Plus will use in making decisions on whether to extend contracts for employment and training, following the decision to review the 2005 timetable;
	(4)  what assessment has been made of the (a) time and (b) cost implications for (i) Jobcentre Plus officials and (ii) providers of the decision to review the timetable for letting Jobcentre Plus contracts for employment and training programmes in 2005;
	(5)  how many Jobcentre Plus contracts for 2005 (a) have been extended to October 2005 and (b) have been cancelled since the decision to review the timetable for letting was made, broken down by value.

Jane Kennedy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mr. Paul Holmes, dated 7 April 2005
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions concerning Jobcentre Plus contracts with employment and training providers and the decision to review the 2005 timetable. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Our normal practice, wherever possible, is to commence discussions with providers three months before a contract is due to end. We do not cancel contracts during their lifespan except in extreme circumstances, such as a provider becoming insolvent or committing a serious breach of its contractual obligations.
	The need to review the timetable for letting new Jobcentre Plus Contracts was identified in December 2004. That review was prompted by the Department's recently published 5 year strategy which places an increased priority on helping those who are out of work because of sickness or disability and lone parents. With fewer people unemployed and a greater emphasis on providing support to disabled people through the New Deal for Disabled People and the Pathways to Work pilots, we needed to review our contracting strategy to ensure the provision we procure focuses support on those who need the most help.
	In the light of that review, the decision was taken to cease current procurement competitions. However, we were not in a position to finalise our strategy for letting new contracts until shortly before 25 February 2005, when Jobcentre Plus Field Directors and others had been informed of the changes to our timetable and the criteria for extending current contracts i.e. satisfactory performance, a clear business need or a mandatory requirement for the provision had been established.
	To deliver the DWP and Jobcentre Plus efficiency challenges and modernisation agendas it is vital that we obtain best value for money. We have now identified what provision needs to be in place to support our business objectives, and are now in the process of developing a timetable for the implementation of an overall contracting strategy designed to achieve better value for money in terms of process and required outcomes.
	With regard to the time and cost implications for those involved with Jobcentre Plus contracts for employment and training programmes, this information is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.
	We are currently informing providers whether their current contracts are being extended or not. When this process has been completed I will write to you again with the answer to your question about this.
	I hope this is helpful.

Jobseekers Allowance

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the main reasons for claimants leaving jobseeker's allowance; and how many people there were in each category of departure in the last period for which figures are available.

Malcolm Wicks: The available information is in the table.
	
		Destinations of leavers from the jobseekers allowance claimant count: between 9 December 2004 and 12 January 2005
		
			  Number of people 
		
		
			 Found work 57,400 
			 Works on average 16+ hours per week 2,100 
			 Gone abroad 5,300 
			 Claimed income support 3,800 
			 Claimed incapacity benefit 6,200 
			 Claimed another benefit 2,300 
			 Full-time education 600 
			 Approved training 200 
			 Government-supported training 10,600 
			 Retirement age reached 400 
			 Automatic credits 100 
			 Gone to prison 1,300 
			 Attending court 0 
			 Defective claim 1,300 
			 Ceased claiming 2,400 
			 Deceased 100 
			 Not known 12,200 
			 Failed to sign 58,800 
			 New claim review 1,000 
			 Total 166,300 
		
	
	Source:
	Labour Market Trends, March 2005 (Table F.24)

National Insurance

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2005, Official Report, column 604W, on contracting out rebate rates, if he will publish the advice received from actuaries consulted during the consultation process.

Malcolm Wicks: A number of actuaries provided advice on the Government Actuary's reports as part of the consultation processes. We cannot publish copies of this advice until we obtain their consent.

Pension Credit

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the effect on the number of pensioners who will be in receipt of pension credit in 200910 of (a) a continuation of current uprating policy, (b) linking the basic state pension and the savings credit threshold to earnings and (c) linking the basic state pension to earnings and the savings credit threshold to prices from 200607 onwards.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 4 April 2005
	The number of pensioner benefit units estimated to be in receipt of pension credit if the current uprating rules are continued until the financial year 200910 is 3,350,000. Under option (b) where the basic state pension is uprated in line with earnings from 200607 onwards and the savings credit threshold is increased in line with prices as now, 150,000 fewer benefit units would be in receipt of pension credit by 200910. Under option (c) where the savings credit threshold is increased in line with the increase in the basic state pension from 200607 about 250,000 fewer benefit units would be in receipt by 200910.
	Notes:
	1. The figures are rounded to the nearest 50,000 to account for the large potential margin for error in the estimate.
	2. Overall pensioner incomes are assumed to rise in line with average earnings.
	3. The projection of the recipient population under continuation of current policy is derived from the Public Service Agreement target for recipients at the end of 200708, and the change in eligibility implied purely by assumed changes in incomes, entitlements and population between then and 200910.
	4. The projections do not prejudge future operational and policy decisions.
	Source:
	Figures are calculated using the Department's policy simulation model and the family resources survey 200203 projected forward to 200910

Pension Expenditure

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department spent on (a) male and (b) female recipients of (i) the basic state pension, (ii) additional pension, (iii) guarantee credit and (iv)savings credit in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by constituency.

Malcolm Wicks: The information has been placed in the Library.

Pensioners

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what representations he has received about the exempting of equity release capital in calculating pensioner entitlements.

Malcolm Wicks: There have been no formal representations regarding the exempting of equity release capital in calculating pensioner entitlements.

Pensioners

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will extend the 200 refund to council tax paying pensioner households to include households comprising a single female pensioner under the age of 65 years.

Malcolm Wicks: We have no plans to extend the 200 refund to council tax paying pensioner households to include households comprising of a single female pensioner under the age of 65 years.

Pensioners

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners in receipt of (a) housing benefit, (b) council tax benefit, (c) pension credit and (d) other means-tested benefits incur a marginal deduction rate of (i) 85 to 89 per cent., (ii) 90 to 94 per cent., (iii) 95 to 99 per cent. and (iv) 100 per cent. and over.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available in the format requested. There were 760,000 pensioner households (939,000 individuals) receiving the guarantee element of pension credit only at August 2004. Private pension income is brought fully into account in these cases, although they are not subject to separate benefit withdrawal of CTB/HB. There were an estimated additional 390,000 pensioner households (510,000 individuals) with incomes above guarantee element levels, but receiving both tapered housing benefit (HB) and tapered council tax benefit CTB). These households would be subject to marginal deduction rates (MDRs) of less than 100 per cent., though they would often exceed 85 pence in the pound.
	All recipients of the minimum income guarantee (MIG) were subject to MDRs of 100 per cent. These people are now entitled to pension credit and most of themof the order of 61 per cent. of those in private householdsare also benefiting from the savings element of pension credit. This majority no longer face MDRs of 100 percent.
	Notes:
	1. The figures are subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	2. Pension credit and HB/CTB are awarded to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
	3. Pension credit figures are rounded to the nearest thousand. Due to the estimation procedure to produce the figures for HB/CTB and the collection procedures in Scotland, HB/CTB figures are rounded to the nearest ten thousand.
	4. CTB cases exclude any second adult rebate cases.
	5. HB cases exclude extended payment cases.
	The figures refer to cases where the claimant and/or partner is aged 60 or over.
	Sources:
	Pension credit data from 5 per cent. extract of income support computer system at August 2004. HB/CTB data from housing benefit and council tax benefit management information system, Annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2003.

Post Office Ltd. Computer System

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many times the Post Office Ltd. computer system for administering pension payments has failed; how many pensioners were affected; and what emergency measures were implemented to pay their pensions.

Malcolm Wicks: The Information is not available in the form requested.
	Since April 2003, when the Post Office card account system was introduced, there have been a small number of incidents that have briefly affected payments to the Department's customers. These incidents have caused some inconvenience to customers and delay in withdrawing benefit from accounts. It is not possible to say how many customers were temporarily unable to collect their pensions at the Post Office as a result. Those customers who were still unable to manage until the systems were restored, later in the day, could contact the appropriate DWP office to arrange an emergency payment.

Regional Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which (a) non-departmental public bodies and (b) executive agencies within the remit of his Department have regional offices based on the Government Offices for the Regions' regional structure; and when the regional offices were established in each case.

Maria Eagle: The Department and its constituent businesses operate on a national rather than a regional basis, although some of them have a regional aspect to their administrative operations.
	In April 2002, Jobcentre Plus, an executive agency of the Department, set up nine regional offices in England to align with the Government Offices for the Regions' regional structure.
	None of the non-departmental public bodies that the Department is responsible for have regional offices based on the Government Offices for the Regions' regional structure.

Regional Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what regional (a) bodies, (b) institutions, (c) taskforces, (d) panels, (e) offices and (f) organisations the Government have established since May 1997 which are the responsibility of his Department.

Maria Eagle: The Department and its constituent businesses operate on a national rather than a regional basis, although some of them have a regional aspect to their administrative operations.
	In April 2002, Jobcentre Plus, an executive agency of the Department, set up nine regional offices in England to align with the Government offices for the regions' regional structure.
	The Appeals Service, an executive agency launched on 3 April 2000 to succeed the Independent Tribunal Service, has a regional structure for the administration of appeals, in line with the judicial regional structure.
	When the Pension Service, also an executive agency of the Department, was established in April 2002, the operational organisation was based around Government office regions. However, during early 2004 the regional management tier was removed and support services repositioned at national and local levels.
	The other executive agencies and other bodies established since May 1997 for which the Department is responsible have a number of offices based in regions but are not regional organisations.

Sickness Absence

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what initiatives his Department is taking to reduce the numbers of sick days taken by staff in the Department.

Maria Eagle: The DWP is committed to reducing its sickness absence levels. To help achieve this, a Managing Attendance policy was introduced in February 2003. This sets out the roles and responsibilities of managers and staff for achieving good attendance.
	The Department's approach to managing attendance was reviewed by the National Audit Office in 2004. The recommendations made have contributed to a departmental action plan.
	The Department has also produced a delivery plan in response to the recommendations of a Ministerial Task Force looking into sickness absence in the civil service and wider public sector. The task force was formed to ensure that the public sector contributes to the target of an overall reduction of 30 per cent. in the number of days lost to sickness absence by 2010.
	A Well-being at Work policy was launched on 6 September 2004 on a DWP-wide basis. The aim of the policy is to tackle workplace stress in order to help reduce absence levels caused by stress.
	The Department has also introduced pilots involving the early use of occupational health nurses to help managers and staff manage sickness absence.

Training Courses

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what financial penalties were paid in each financial year since 199798 to training providers by the Department for training courses prepared for its staff which were subsequently cancelled at the Department's request.

Maria Eagle: DWP was formed in June 2001 from the former Department of Social Security and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment, including the Employment Service.
	The information requested is not collected centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Vaccine Damage

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2005, Official Report, column 1042W, on vaccine damage, how much each of the payments to victims of vaccine damage was; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: 10,000 was originally paid to each of the 75 victims of vaccine damage under the extra statutory scheme that preceded the 1979 Vaccine Damage Payment Act. In June 2000 it was decided that top-up payments would be made to past recipients of vaccine damage payments to bring the value of their payment up to the equivalent of what it would have been if they had originally received 100,000 ie 78,000 in real terms. Subsequently a payment of 68,000 was made to all the 75 claimants, bringing the total amount of each payment to 78,000.

Workforce (50 Years Plus)

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in, and what percentage of, the workforce were aged 50 years or above in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004; what the percentage change was between those years; what his Department's policy is on numbers of workers aged 50 years or above; whether he plans changes to this policy; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: The information on the number and percentage of the workforce aged 50 and over is in the table.
	
		Number of people aged 50 and over in employment andchange on previous year
		
			  Year to November 2003 Year to November 2004 Percentage change(21) 
		
		
			 Population aged 50 and over 18,969,000 19,127,000 +0.8 
			 Population aged 50 and over as a percentage of population aged 16 and over 41.8 41.9 +0.1 
			 People aged 50 and over in employment 6,977,000 7,120,000 +2.0 
			 People aged 50 and over in employment as a percentage of people aged 16 and over in employment 25.7 26.0 +0.3 
		
	
	(21)Figures are percentage changes in the numbers, and percentage point changes in the percentages.
	Source:
	Labour Force Survey, average of four quarters to end November.
	In announcing the Department's five year strategy in February this year, we signalled our long term aspiration to move towards an 80 per cent. overall employment rate, and envisage 1 million more older workers in the labour force, including many who will choose to work beyond state pension age.
	We have set targets to increase the employment rate of people aged 50 to state pension age, and reduce the gap between their employment rate and the overall employment rate. From April 2005 there will be an additional target to increase the employment rate of people aged 50 to 69 by 2008.
	We want to increase the choices available for older workers to remain in, or rejoin, the labour market to allow them to continue contributing their skills and experience in the workplace and save towards retirement income. To support this we are changing tax and pension rules, increasing state pension deferral rates and options and introducing age discrimination legislation covering employment that will introduce a default retirement age of 65.
	In May we will be launching a national guidance campaign to raise employers awareness of, and ability to adopt, flexible employment and retirement opportunities in order to increase the recruitment, retention and training of older workers.

HEALTH

Choosing Health

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the timetable is for the National Institute for Clinical Excellence's work programme to support the aims of the public health White Paper, Choosing Health, as described in paragraph 28, page 41, of the Choosing Activity physical activity action plan published on 9 March.

Melanie Johnson: A number of guidance topics were referred to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) on 5 April 2005, including topics in support of public health interventions and programmes pursuant to the aims of Choosing healthMaking healthier choices easier. This referral included six public health guidance topics:
	An assessment of four commonly used methods to increase physical activity: brief interventions in primary care, pedometers, exercise referral schemes and community based exercise programmes for walking and cycling.
	An assessment of interventions (including screening) to reduce the transmission of Chlamydia and other sexually transmitted infections and to reduce the rate of under 18 conceptions, especially among vulnerable and at risk groups.
	An assessment of brief interventions and referral for smoking cessation in primary care (including pharmacy and dental services as well as general practitioner's surgeries) and other settings with particular reference to pregnant smokers and disadvantaged groups and the tailoring and targeting of interventions.
	Guidance on the optimal provision of smoking cessation services including the provision of nicotine replacement therapy, for primary care, pharmacies, local authorities and workplaces with particular reference to manual groups, pregnant smokers and hard to reach communities.
	Guidance for midwives, health visitors, pharmacists and other primary care services to improve the nutrition of pregnant and breastfeeding mothers and children in low income households.
	The most appropriate means of generic and specific interventions to support attitude and behaviour change at population and community levels.
	NICE has already been commissioned to produce guidelines on the management and prevention of obesity.

Abortion (Essex)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many abortions have been performed in the Romford and Havering constituencies in each year since 1997.

Melanie Johnson: Data is not available in the format requested.
	The National Statistician has been asked to provide the Department and the new health and social care information centre with guidelines for interpreting the national statistics code of practice and associated protocols in the handling of health statistics across the health community which balance data confidentiality risks with the public interest in the use of the figures.

Alliance Medical

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what indicators are being used to determine whether the scanning services provided by Alliance Medical are good value for money;
	(2)  what policies for reducing waiting times for scans were considered other than entering into a contract with a private sector provider; and what assessment was made of the relative costs of the alternatives.

John Hutton: holding answer 4 April 2005
	The additional capacity provided by the independent sector is complementary to our policy of expanding capacity within the national health service itself. By 2008, there will be an increase of 2.75 million extra scans and diagnostic procedures, of which one million scans per year will be purchased from the independent sector, all delivered free at the point of need. The remaining 1.75 million will be delivered by the NHS.
	The contract was negotiated at a rate estimated against equivalent NHS cost. The estimate found it to be less than half of the NHS cost, which demonstrates the value for money achieved.

Alliance Medical

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  if he will list the individuals who were involved in the negotiation of the contract for Alliance Medical to provide scanning services to the NHS;
	(2)  how many meetings have taken place between his Department's officials and Alliance Medical personnel to discuss the provision of scanning services to the NHS by Alliance Medical;
	(3)  if he will list the individuals who were present at the meeting which took place between his Department and Alliance Medical to discuss the provision of scanning services; and on what dates the meetings were held.

John Hutton: holding answer 4 April 2005
	The national implementation team of the Department's commercial directorate carried out the tendering process and contract negotiations.
	Departmental officials and representatives had a number of talks with Alliance Medical as part of the procurement process. The Department continues to have regular contact with the company. However, given the number and variety of these contacts, it is not possible to provide a total number of meetings, nor would it be appropriate to name individual officials.

Alliance Medical

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what factors were taken into consideration when determining whether Alliance Medical should provide scanning services in the NHS;
	(2)  if he will list contracts that have been awarded to Alliance Medical to provide services for the NHS.

John Hutton: holding answers 4 April 2005
	The contract was negotiated based on clinical capacity, ability to deliver service, and value for money.
	This is the only contract of its kind which procured by the Department from Alliance Medical. Information on contracts with individual trusts, which are not negotiated centrally, is not available.

Alliance Medical

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the technical specifications are of the scanning equipment used by Alliance Medical in the mobile scanner unit under the contract held with the NHS;
	(2)  what the technical specifications are of the scanning equipment used at University Hospital North Durham.

John Hutton: All 12 of Alliance Medical's mobile units use the latest 1.5T Siemens scanners, capable of all standard scanning sequences (including single shot fast spin echo 2D/3D fast/turbo spin echo). The Department does not hold technical specifications for equipment being used by the University Hospital North Durham.

Alliance Medical

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the complaints procedure is for patients dissatisfied with services provided by Alliance Medical;
	(2)  what his policy is on where legal liability lies in the event of a medical negligence case arising from a procedure undertaken by Alliance Medical.

John Hutton: holding answer 4 April 2005
	Patients who receive scans through this contract remain national health service patients throughout. All patients are therefore covered by the central negligence scheme for trusts and, in the event of any negligence claim, have the same rights as if the event occurred within the NHS.
	The responsibility for handling complaints rests with the appropriate NHS primary care trust or acute trust that referred the patient. Such complaints are handled through the NHS complaints process.

Alliance Medical

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what procurement process was undertaken by his Department before entering into the contract with Alliance Medical for the provision of CT and MRI scans.

John Hutton: holding answer 4 April 2005
	Standard Government procurement processes were followed in which advertisements were placed and companies were invited to send in expressions of interest. Following a robust negotiation process, Alliance Medical was selected as the company that offered value for money and capacity to deliver services.

Alliance Medical

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment was made by his Department of Alliance Medical's employment policy, with particular reference to the recognition of trade unions, prior to entering into a contract to provide CT and MRI scans for the NHS.

John Hutton: holding answer 4 April 2005
	Alliance Medical are required to comply with all employment laws governing their staff and to ensure that all radiologists are registered with the General Medical Council and are on the appropriate specialist register to ensure that they are of the same standard as radiologists working within the national health service.

Care Home Staff

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many care homes have complied to date with the Government's requirement for 50 per cent. of support staff to have obtained NVQ Level 2 by the end of April; what mechanisms are in place to monitor compliance; and what the sanctions for non-compliance will be.

Stephen Ladyman: Standard 28.1 of the National Minimum Standards for Care Homes for Older People and standard 32.6 for Care Homes for Adults 18 to 65 sets the expectation that by 2005 a minimum of 50 per cent. of care staff in care homes should be trained to National Vocational Qualification Level 2. It is for the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI), in regulating care homes, to monitor care homes performance against the standards. The CSCI must take the standards into account when assessing a care homes compliance with the Care Homes Regulations 2001.

Chronic Disease Management

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to develop a co-ordinated approach to chronic disease management in patients with (a) diabetes, (b) heart disease and (c) kidney disease.

Rosie Winterton: The NHS Improvement Plan set out the Government's priority to improve care for people with long-term conditions by moving from reactive care towards a systematic, patient centred approach. The national service framework (NSF) for long-term conditions was launched on 10 March 2005 and aims to support people with long-term conditions to live as full and independent a life as possible.
	The Department has set up a vascular programmes board that will oversee delivery of the targets for cardiovascular disease (coronary heart disease, stroke and other circulatory diseases), diabetes, chronic kidney disease, health improvement and prevention, and hypertension. The work of the board will assist in the process of taking a more co-ordinated approach to chronic disease management in patients with diabetes, heart disease and kidney disease.
	The diabetes NSF was published in December 2001. The NSF sets out a 10-year programme of change where all people with diabetes requiring multi-agency support will receive integrated health and social care. The recently published report, Improving Diabetes Servicesthe NSF Two Years On, provides information about how services are changing to provide an integrated approach for people with diabetes.
	The coronary heart disease (CHD) NSF, published in March 2000, set out a strategy to modernise CHD services over 10 years. Heart failure was identified as an area where there was significant scope to help people with heart failure live longer and achieve a better quality of life.
	Part two of the NSF for renal services was published in February 2005. It sets out new quality requirements for the identification and early management of people with, or at risk of, chronic kidney disease. It also identifies considerable scope for integrating care pathways for people with chronic kidney disease, coronary heart disease and/or diabetes, to reduce the impact of these interacting long-term conditions.

Civil Servants (Relocation)

John Thurso: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many civil servants in his Department have (a) been relocated and (b) been agreed for relocation in the last 12 months; and to which areas of the United Kingdom.

Rosie Winterton: 12 civil servants from the Department have been relocated in the last 12 months:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Leeds 2 
			 London 7 
			 Cambridge 1 
			 Southampton 1 
			 Durham 1 
		
	
	In response to the Lyons Review, the Department has committed to relocating 1,110 posts, mainly from its arm's length bodies, by 2010. So far, around 500 posts have been confirmed for relocation. At least 300 of these posts are likely to relocate to Leeds.

CMP Practitioners Conference

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the NHS spent on the CMP Practitioners Conference at Turnberry on 10 and 11 March.

John Hutton: The National health service did not incur any of the costs for the pathways condition management programme conference at Turnberry on 10 and 11 March 2005. The cost of this important development event for the incapacity benefit reform programme was wholly borne by the Department.

Counter-Fraud and Security Management Service

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 14 March 2005, Official Report, column 123W, on counter-fraud and security management service, how many cases investigated by the national health service counter fraud and management service since September 1998 resulted in (a) not guilty verdicts, (b) successful criminal prosecutions, (c) disciplinary sanctions and (d) a civil recovery.

Rosie Winterton: The breakdown of outcomes in cases investigated by the national health service counter fraud and security management service (CFSMS) between September 1998 and February 2005 is as follows:
	11 cases were found not guilty (unsuccessful criminal prosecutions).
	297 cases resulted in successful criminal prosecutions.
	329 cases resulted in disciplinary sanctions or civil recoveries.
	The total received in recoveries for England and Wales is 18.4 million but overall, the CFSMS has saved 670 million between 1999 and 2005 by counter fraud work in the NHS.

Dentistry

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2005, Official Report, columns 68081W, on dentistry, how many dental practices were on the nhs.uk.database on the latest date for which figures are available, including those not registering new patients; how many were registering new patients; how many were not registering new patients but providing occasional NHS treatment to non-registered patients; and how many were not registering new patients or providing occasional NHS treatment to non-registered patients.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 15 March 2005
	This information is available on the following website: www.nhs.uk/webservices/pages/webservices/dentalreport.asp.

Digital Hearing Aids

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2005, Official Report, column 1051W, on digital hearing aids, what mechanisms are in place to monitor the 18-week target from referral to patients receiving their digital hearing aids.

John Hutton: We are expecting activity and waiting times information for pure tone audiometry to be collected for the first time as part of local delivery plans. Strategic health authorities and primary care trusts are currently developing their plans and these will be agreed with the Department shortly.

Disability Buggies

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discretion general practitioners have to charge patients for issuing forms for use of a disability buggy; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: General practitioners (GPs) are required to issue specified medical certificates free of charge, for example, to support claims for social security benefits. However, GPs also provide a variety of other services which successive governments have regarded as private matters between the patient and the doctor providing the service. In these cases, the doctor has discretion to charge for these non-national health service services if he or she wishes.

Food Standards Directive

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Food Standards Agency will accept the derogation granted by the Italian Government to 121 nutrient sources under the provisions of the Food Standards Directive as valid in the United Kingdom; and whether it will permit the continued use of the nutrient sources after 1 August on the basis of the derogations granted in Italy.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 21 March 2005
	The United Kingdom will grant a derogation in accordance with the food supplements directive 2002/46/EC for the continued use of sources of the vitamins and minerals listed in the Directive, where dossiers have been either been submitted to the UK or to another member state, pending a positive opinion from the European Food Safety Authority. The Food Standards Agency is pressing the European Commission for a view on the Italian derogations.

Food Supplements Directive

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will table amendments to the Food Supplements Directive in the Council of Ministers to allow the sale on domestic national markets of products which lie outside the technical restrictions on sale.

Melanie Johnson: The Food Supplements Directive was agreed in 2002. The European Commission would need to bring forward new proposals in order for amendments to be made to the Directive.

Health Care Worker Screening

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recommendations on healthcare worker screening were made by the ad hoc risk assessment group commissioned by his Department in December 2002; and which of these recommendations have been implemented.

John Hutton: The recommendations of the ad hoc risk assessment group commissioned in December 2002 will be placed in the Library shortly.

Health Care Worker Screening

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will publish his Department's consultation on screening healthcare workers.

John Hutton: Consultation on screening healthcare workers was published in 2002.

Health Direct

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2004, Official Report, column 503W, on Health Direct, when he expects to announce the (a) set-up and (b) running costs of Health Direct; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: Health Direct will be set up starting from 2007. A scoping study will be undertaken during 2005 to establish the customer requirements and service definition for the Health Direct service. Set up and running costs for the service will be established during the subsequent procurement phase, which we expect to complete by the end of 2006.

Health Expenditure

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate his Department has made of health expenditure relating to (a) nicotine, (b) alcohol and (c) illegal drug use in each of the last five years.

Melanie Johnson: Smoking costs the national health service between 1.4 billion and 1.7 billion a year in England, as set out in the White Paper, Choosing Health 1 .
	1 Buck D et alUniversity of York Centre for Health Economics. Cost effectiveness of smoking cessation interventions: Health Education Authority 1997.
	The interim analytical report prepared by the strategy unit to support the production of the alcohol harm reduction strategy for England estimated the cost annually to the health service due to alcohol related harm as between 1.4 and 1.7 billion.
	The Home Office research study 249, The economic and social costs of class A drug misuse in England and Wales, 2000, estimated that:
	Young recreational users cost the NHS about 2 million.
	The total healthcare costs for older regular users were also about 2 million.
	Problem drug users are estimated to cost the NHS between 283 million and 509 million per year, in addition to the specific addiction treatment they are receiving.

Health White Paper

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 7 December 2004, Official Report, column 504W, on Health White Paper, what estimate he has made of the cost of implementing the Healthy Start programme (a) in total and (b) broken down by (i) costs of the campaign aimed at families, (ii) costs of the communications and training programme for health professionals and (iii) other costs.

Melanie Johnson: Healthy Start will replace the existing welfare food scheme and will be phased in from summer 2005. We expect that Healthy Start expenditure should continue at a similar level to the welfare food scheme. The budget is demand-led and current expenditure is approximately 140 million per annum.
	A draft regulatory impact assessment (RIA), which includes breakdowns of the expected costs of Healthy Start, was published in the Healthy Start consultation on draft regulations that was launched on 1 February 2005. This RIA will be revised in light of the responses to the consultation and before Parliament is invited to approve the regulations. The consultation ends on 26 April.
	A communications strategy and health professional training activities for Healthy Start are currently in development and will link in with communications and training to be provided as part of the actions set out in the Choosing a Better Diet: a food and health action plan.

Hospital Acquired Infections

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the national audit of deaths caused by hospital acquired infections announced by the Chief Medical Officer in December 2003 is operational; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: The Department of Health asked the Office for National Statistics and the Health Protection Agency (HPA) to undertake jointly a confidential, qualitative study on a proportion of deaths which may be associated with healthcare associated infection.
	This study requires the collection and analysis of detailed information that is not collected routinely. This study will develop new methodologies enabling detailed analyses of case reports.
	Preliminary work has been carried out and it is for the HPA and Office for National Statistics to take matters forward.

Hospital-Acquired Infections

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the rate of surgical site infection was in each quarter since October 1997, broken down by category of surgical procedure.

Melanie Johnson: Cumulative data from the Health Protection Agency's (HPA) voluntary reporting scheme for surgical site infection are published annually. The following table covers the period October 1997 to December 2003.
	
		Rate of surgical site infection (SSI) by category of surgical procedure: October 1997 to December 2003
		
			 Surgical procedure Rate of SSI 95 per cent. confidence limit lower-upper 
		
		
			 Abdominal hysterectomy 2.0 1.82.3 
			 Bile duct, liver, or pancreatic surgery 11.3 7.117.1 
			 Cholecystectomy 4.1 1.39.5 
			 Coronary artery bypass graft 4.3 4.04.6 
			 Gastric surgery 9.9 7.013.7 
			 Total hip replacement 2.2 2.12.4 
			 Hip hemiarthroplasty 4.9 4.65.3 
			 Knee prosthesis 1.4 1.31.5 
			 Large bowel surgery 9.3 8.89.9 
			 Limb amputation 14.9 13.316.8 
			 Open reduction of fracture 3.8 3.34.3 
			 Small bowel surgery 10.1 8.511.9 
			 Vascular surgery 6.7 6.17.4 
		
	
	Source:
	HPA Communicable Disease Report (CDR) Weekly 2004, volume 14, 21, 20 May
	The mandatory reporting scheme for orthopaedic surgical site infections was introduced in April 2004 and the first year's data will be published later this year.

Influenza Pandemic Plan

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the target rate for the update of immunisation against infection in the event of an influenza pandemic will be, assuming that an effective vaccine has been obtained.

Melanie Johnson: If supplies of pandemic influenza vaccine are limited, its use would be prioritised as outlined in the pandemic influenza contingency plan. However, if sufficient supplies were available, it would be offered to all eligible individuals.

Joint Committee on Vaccinations and Immunisations

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether guidance issued by the Joint Committee on vaccinations and immunisations is mandatory for (a) primary care trusts and (b) hospital trusts.

Melanie Johnson: It is a matter for clinical governance on how Joint Committee on vaccinations and immunisations recommendations are implemented.

Klinefelter Syndrome

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on treatment for those who have Klinefelter syndrome; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: Sufferers from Klinefelter's syndrome can have diverse and variable health and social care needs. These needs are best addressed on an individual basis by local health and social care bodies.

Meat Hygiene Service

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on his plans for the Meat Hygiene Service.

Melanie Johnson: The Meat Hygiene Service (MHS) carries out important and valuable work in licensed meat establishments to protect public health, animal health and animal welfare. I have been advised by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) that the MHS is facing a number of significant changes. These include enforcement arrangements for new European Union food hygiene regulations, which come into force in January 2006; plans to allow beef from cattle over 30 months old back on to the market once robust arrangements for bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) testing are in place; and addressing recommendations made in the report of the independent inquiry into BSE testing failures. The MHS is working closely with the Food Standards Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs towards the effective implementation of these changes.

Mental Health

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department has allocated to telephone support lines for people with mental illness in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: Over the last five years, the Department has allocated a total of 6,837,986 to telephone support lines for people with mental health problems. Details of which are broken down by year in the following table.
	
		
			  Allocation () 
		
		
			 200001 889,980 
			 200102 894,000 
			 200203 1,092,006 
			 200304 2,051,000 
			 200405 1,911,000

Mobile Scanner

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment was made of the North Durham area in order to find sites suitable for a mobile scanner.

John Hutton: holding answer 4 April 2005
	I refer my hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 18 March 2005, Official Report, column 523W.

MRI Scans

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 9 March 2005, Official Report, column 1910W, on MRI scans, if he will set out for each month for which he has records the information on (a) number of scans, (b) number of rejections, (c) timeliness, (d) quality and (e) customer satisfaction.

John Hutton: holding answer 17 March 2005
	The number of scans performed by Alliance Medical Limited (AML) and customer satisfaction rates for each month is shown in the table.
	In relation to information concerning rejections, timeliness and quality, I refer the hon. Member to my reply of 9 March.
	
		
			 Month Number of patients scanned Patient satisfaction (good or excellent) (percentage) 
		
		
			 August 2,097 n/a 
			 September 2,884 90 
			 October 4,201 91 
			 November 5,999 96 
			 December 4,564 96 
			 January 5,252 93 
			 February 4,456 n/a 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.Data provided by Alliance Medical, but not validated by the Department.
	2.The contract began roll-out in August 2004 and has been fully operational since December 2004.
	3.AML first surveyed patients in September 2005. Data for February 2005 is not yet available.

NHS Absences

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many working days have been lost due to (a) sickness and (b) absenteeism in the NHS in each of the past 10 years.

John Hutton: National data on sickness absence levels in the national health service has only been collected since 1999 and is collected as a percentage rate, rather than the number of working days lost. Data for the period 19992003 is shown in the table. National data on other types of absence in the NHS is not collected centrally, but may be available from individual NHS employing organisations.
	
		
			  Percentage 
		
		
			 1999 4.9 
			 2000 4.7 
			 2001 4.8 
			 2002 4.6 
			 2003 4.7

NHS Beds

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many NHS beds there were in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: holding answer 23 March 2005
	The information requested is available in the Library.

NHS Charges

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what charges have been introduced for NHS services since 1975.

John Hutton: Regulations governing charging of overseas visitors for national health service hospital treatment were first introduced in 1982. These were subsequently replaced by the NHS (Charges to Overseas Visitors) Regulations 1989, which remain the basis of the charging arrangements today, although they have been amended from time to time, most recently in April 2004.
	Charging for dental examinations was introduced on 1 April 1989.

NHS Contracts

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when his Department adopted the policy of not disclosing the total value of contracts held between the NHS and providers;
	(2)  if he will list the companies which tendered for the contract won by Alliance Medical to provide scanning services to the NHS.

John Hutton: It has always been the Department's policy to decide whether to disclose the value of contracts on a case by case basis.
	Information on specific companies that tendered for the contract is commercially sensitive. Releasing the names of companies which were not successful could be considered commercially damaging to the interests of the firms concerned. For this reason, 27 expressions of interest were received and six bidders were invited to negotiate for the contract.

NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency's operating costs are funded.

John Hutton: The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency is an executive agency of the Department and receives its funding from the Department.

NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether hospital trusts are required to use the NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency to source any of their supplies.

John Hutton: The NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency assists around 400 national health service trusts and health bodies with their purchasing and manages some 3000 national purchasing contracts, which are available to NHS bodies. Use of these contracts by local bodies is voluntary but extensive because of the savings they provide.

NHS Staff

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many qualified (a) nurses, (b) midwives and (c) health visitors have (i) entered and (ii) completed return to practice schemes in the NHS in England since March 2004.

John Hutton: The Department no longer collects this information.

NHS Telephone Services

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ban premium rate charges for (a) incoming calls made to and (b) outgoing calls made from bedside phones in NHS hospitals; and if he will make a statement.

John Hutton: holding answer 24 March 2005
	Bedside television (TV) and telephone services are now available in most major acute hospitals and provide an additional service to patients, relatives and friends to enable them to remain in direct contact when people are in hospital. It is still possible for friends and relatives to contact a hospital through its main switchboard and then be transferred to a nurse station to enquire about their relatives' health.
	Charges for the use of services through bedside telephones are agreed between the national health service trust and the company supplying the service. The trust does not make any profit from these services.
	Contracts are entered into by individual trusts who will set out an agreed schedule of charges, including the cost of incoming charges to patients.
	Three suppliers, covering 69,000 beds, include a message notifying callers at the outset of the call what the charge will be. The fourth, which provides a service to the remaining 6,000 beds, will shortly be including a similar message at all their sites. In addition, the Patient Power suppliers set out the charges for all their services in leaflets, which are made widely available. A higher incoming call rate helps subsidise concessionary rates provided by the suppliers, which include free TV for children and discounted rates for long stay patients.
	NHS Estates commissioned British Market Research Bureau to carry out a survey to conduct research into patient and staff satisfaction with the bedside communication and entertainment systems where 88 per cent. of patients said that they were satisfied with the services, 95 per cent. of patients chose to pay for services offered and patients said the most important reason for using the system was to make phone calls without having to ask a member of staff for help or go to a public pay phone.
	The patient bedside entertainment system provides a vital direct link with family and friends for NHS patients. The results of the recent survey confirm that the service is useful in improving the patients' stay in hospital.

NHS Trusts

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the Answer of 4 March 2005, Official Report, column 1469W on hospitals, in which year of the rolling breakeven period each of the NHS trusts listed was at the end of 200304; which of the NHS trusts were given an exception to have a five year rolling breakeven period; and what the 200304 turnover for each NHS trust was.

John Hutton: holding answer 24 March 2005
	The information requested will be placed in Library shortly.
	Exceptionally, strategic health authorities (SHAs) have the authority to extend the period of breakeven recovery from three years to either a four or five year period. Such extension requires the express agreement of the relevant SHA in the knowledge of the national health service trust's particular circumstances. Exceptional circumstances may arise where the four/five year period is consistent with the terms of, and targets included in, a financial recovery plan approved by the relevant SHA, or there are other exceptional circumstances, defined and approved in writing by the relevant SHA.

Nurses

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total expenditure in the NHS in England sourced (a) from NHS banks, (b) from nursing agencies and (c) by NHS professionals was in each financial year since 199798 on temporary qualified nursing staff.

John Hutton: The Department does not collect information from trusts according to the categories identified. Information is collected from trusts on their total spend on non-national health service nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff. For figures since 199798, I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Sutton and Cheam (Mr. Burstow) on 16 December 2004, Official Report, column 1329W. The figure provided for 200304 has now been audited and is correct.

Nurses

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the expenditure by West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service NHS Trust was in each of the financial years since 200102 on employing (a) qualified nursing staff and (b) qualified temporary nursing staff.

Melanie Johnson: The table shows expenditure by the West Yorkshire Metropolitan Ambulance Service National Health Service Trust (WYMAS) on NHS qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff and non NHS nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff, for the years 200102 to 200304.
	
		()
		
			  Qualified NHS nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff Non-NHS nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff 
		
		
			 200102 13,599,638 12,460,320 
			 200203 22,972,181 38,150,587 
			 200304 26,596,911 21,660,434 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.The Department collects expenditure information on NHS and non-NHS staff by NHS trusts. Non-NHS staff expenditure figures include all agency staff and any other staff not directly employed by the trusts.
	2.WYMAS was a lead organisation for NHS Professionals. The non-NHS figures shown in the table relate to expenditure on NHS professionals. These figures have not been used in previous parliamentary responses (to avoid double counting) due to the fact that other NHS trusts included the expenditure in their financial returns when reporting NHS professionals that they employed via WYMAS.
	Source:
	Annual financial returns of NHS trusts.

Occupational Code Definitions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the definitions of NHS occupational codes found under the NHS work force statistics for (a) all non-clinical jobs, (b) all clinical jobs, (c) managers and (d) senior managers are the same in 200304 as in each year since 199798.

John Hutton: Since 1997, the national health service has undergone a radical reorganisation aimed at ensuring services are managed closer to patients, in particular through Shifting the Balance of Power and the creation of primary care trusts. In addition, the NHS has introduced a range of new clinical and non-clinical roles aimed at better meeting patients needs and the skills of staff. These include, for example, nurse consultants, and will in future include community matrons.
	The occupation codes used in NHS work force statistics have been amended to reflect these changes. All such changes are includes in the occupation codes manuals and Data Set Change Notices, which are available at: www.nhsia.nhs.uk/dscn/pages/default.asp.

Occupational Code Definitions

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the NHS occupational codes and their definitions for all (a) non-clinical and (b) clinical jobs, broken down by (i) strategic health authority and (ii)NHS hospital trust in (A) 200304 and (B)200203.

John Hutton: The information requested will be placed in the Library shortly.

Out-of-hours Services (Northumberland)

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he received a copy of the Review of Out-of-Hours Services in Northumberland, undertaken by Northumberland Care Trust and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust; what further reviews of out-of-hours services are being undertaken; and if he will make a statement on the operation of the out-of-hours service under the new general medical services contract.

Melanie Johnson: The review of urgent care services across Northumberland was carried out by Northumberland Care Trust and Northumbria Healthcare National Health Service Trust. The outcome was shared with Northumberland, Tyne and Wear strategic health authority (SHA), which will continue to work with the local NHS to ensure that the action plan is fully implemented. The findings of the review have already been discussed publicly at the board meetings of Northumberland Care Trust and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust. They have also been shared with the overview and scrutiny committee in Northumberland and with the right hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Mr Beith).
	In addition, the Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA is also carrying out a formal assessment of adherence to the new out-of-hours quality requirements across the region. That process is still ongoing.
	The Department is not currently undertaking any reviews of out-of-hours services. It would also not be appropriate for the Department to be involved with a review such as the one undertaken by Northumberland Care Trust and Northumbria Healthcare NHS Trust. Responsibility for local health services lies with the local NHS.
	The new general medical services contract supports the development of an integrated system of high-quality out-of-hours care. It provides primary care trusts with an opportunity to address service fragmentation and introduce an integrated network of urgent care provisionbringing together primary, secondary and social care, to offer patients an integrated, responsive and locally appropriate servicedelivered to nationally set quality requirementswhich addresses all their urgent care needs.

Overseas Nurses

John Baron: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans his Department has to propose (a) bilateral agreements and (b) memoranda of understanding with countries other than India, Spain, Philippines and Indonesia on recruitment of nurses.

John Hutton: We have no plans to propose further bilateral agreements and memorandum of understanding but are happy to discuss other countries' proposals.

Passive Smoking

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he is taking to inform the public of the effects of inhaling secondhand tobacco smoke; and what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of these steps.

Melanie Johnson: We are continuing to act to inform and educate the public about the harmful effects of exposure to secondhand smoke. The hard-hitting television campaign depicting the dangers of smoking around babies and children has received advertising industry awards for effectiveness.
	Details of the effectiveness of Government campaigns on the dangers of smoking are in the British Market Research Bureau tobacco education tracking study. A report of this evidence is to be published every six months on the Department's website.

PFI Projects

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total value is of private finance initiative projects granted approval by his Department since 1997.

John Hutton: The total value for the private finance initiative projects given the go-ahead since 1997 is 17.3 billion. This is made of 78 major capital schemes approved since May 1997 with capital values ranging from 22 million to 1.2 billion, totalling 16.2 billion, and 44 non-prioritised schemes.

Pharmaceutical Companies

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent representations he has received in relation to conduct of research involving pharmaceutical companies; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: In the context of the United Kingdom Clinical Research Collaboration, pharmaceutical industry representatives and others have drawn attention to inconsistent local administrative requirements of national health service organisations that can delay clinical research. The UK Clinical Research Collaboration includes a work stream on regulatory and governance issues through which the Department is working with its partners to promote processes which operate more efficiently while continuing to providing effective protection for patients.
	Representatives of the pharmaceutical industry also recently submitted evidence to an ad hoc group reviewing the operation of the NHS Research Ethics Committee system.
	Under the Freedom of Information Act, the Department has received a request for information about clinical trials conducted in the NHS for pharmaceutical companies.

Regulatory Impact Assessments

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list regulatory impact assessments which have included health impact assessments.

Rosie Winterton: Since November 2004, the Department and the Food Standards Agency have published the following regulatory impact assessments, which include a consideration of the impact on health:
	Department of Health:
	Choosing Health White Paper: overarching partial regulatory impact assessment and annexes
	Action on food advertising and promotion to children.
	Action reducing salt, fat and sugar intakes in England.
	Action on second-hand smoke.
	Action on sales of tobacco to under-16s.
	Supporting national health service frontline staff in health improvement.
	Safer Management of Controlled Drugs: the Government's response to the fourth Shipman inquiry.
	Medicines (Marketing Authorisations and Miscellaneous Amendments) Regulations 2004.
	The Medicines (Pharmacies) (Applications for Registration and Fees) Amendment Regulations 2004.
	National service framework (NSF) for renal services, part two: chronic kidney disease, acute renal failure and end-of-life care.
	European Blood Safety: Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005 to implement European directives 2002/98/EC and 2004/33/EC.
	The Opticians Act 1989 (Amendment) Order 2005.
	The Water Fluoridation (Consultation) Regulations 2005.
	NSF for long-term conditions.
	The National Health Service (General Ophthalmic Services Supplementary List) and (General Ophthalmic Services Amendment and Consequential Amendment) Regulations 2005.
	The Medicines for Human Use (Prescribing) Order 2005 (Extension of Supplementary prescribing to Chiropodists, Physiotherapists and Radiographers).
	The Medicines for Human Use (Prescribing) Order 2005 (Extended Formulary Nurse Prescribing: Amendments to the Prescription only Medicines (Human Use) Order 1997).
	The Medicines for Human Use (Prescribing) Order 2005.
	NHS (Pharmaceutical Services) Regulations 2005:
	Introduction of new community pharmacy contractual framework.
	Implementation of the Government response to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) report on community pharmacy services.
	Introduction of Fitness to Practice requirements for community pharmacy contractors and pharmacists providing NHS pharmaceutical services.
	Food Standards Agency:
	The Contaminants in Food (England) Regulations 2004: Maximum levels for dioxins in foodstuffs.
	The Contaminants in Food (England) Regulations 2004: Maximum levels aflatoxins in maize.
	The Contaminants in Food (England) Regulations 2004: Maximum levels for patulin in foodstuffs.
	The Contaminants in Food (England) Regulations 2004: Maximum levels for tin in canned foodstuffs.
	The Plastic Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2004.
	The General Food Regulations 2004.
	The Sweeteners in Food (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2004.
	The Food with Added Phytosterols or Phytostanols (Labelling) (England) Regulations.
	The Plastic Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (Amendment) (England) Regulations 20050405.
	The TSE (Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 20050405.
	The Contaminants in Food (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2005 (Maximum levels for nitrate in foods for infants and young children).
	The Contaminants in Food (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2005 (Maximum levels aflatoxins or ochratoxin A in foods for infants and young children).
	The Smoke Flavourings (England) Regulations 20050405.
	The Materials and Articles in Contact with Food (England) Regulations 2005.

Student Grant Applications

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what evaluation has been made of the performance of the unit processing student grant applications for postgraduate courses in terms of (a) accuracy of information given, (b) quality and speed of responses to telephone calls and (c) quality and speed of responses to written communications.

John Hutton: The students grant unit (SGU) is now part of the NHS Pensions Agency. It is for the agency to manage and account for the performance of the SGU. The chief executive of the agency informs me that he is aware of the criticisms made of the SGU in the recent past and has highlighted these as key performance indicators for the future. I have asked my officials to raise the SGU's performance at their regular review meetings with the agency.

Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether the Public Service Agreement target to increase year on year the proportion of drug users successfully sustaining or completing treatment programmes has been met thus far.

Melanie Johnson: The proportion of drug users successfully sustaining or completing treatment programmes fell from 59 per cent. In 200102 1 to 57 per cent. In 200203 1 , rising to 72 per cent. in 200304 2 .
	1 Figures for 200102 and 200203 are provisional.
	2 In 200304, the methodology used for counting the numbers in drug treatment in England was revised to reflect numbers in treatment more accurately.
	Note
	The definition of structured drug treatment has also tightened with the implementation of Models of care for the treatment of adult drug misusers, which was published in 2002.
	Sources
	1. Provisional statistics from the national drug treatment monitoring system in England, 200102 and 200203, available on the Department's website at www.publications.doh.gov.uk/public/spndrugs0312.htm
	2. Key statistics on drug misusers in treatment, England 200304, available at www.nta.nhs.uk/programme/national/ntdms_data_0304.htm

Tattoos

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps he takes to ensure that the contents of inks used by tattooists do not contain chemicals at a level which is prejudicial to public health.

Melanie Johnson: The European Commission division responsible for Consumer Affairs, Health and Consumer Protection (DG SANCO) has been collecting information on the safety of tattoos and body piercing and related practices via its Joint Research Centre (Institute for Health and Consumer Protection, Physical and Chemical Exposure Unit) to establish whether there is a need for specific EU legislation in this area. The Department supports the Council of Europe Resolution advising that tattoo pigments used should comply with the Cosmetics Directive, that is that only permitted colours are used, even though they are not legally covered by that Directive.
	The supply of pigments that could cause harm to consumers would be against the law under General Product Safety Regulations 1994.

Tea Tree Oil

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has identified potential risks to human health from the use of products containing tea tree oil; and if he will make a statement on EU proposals to stop the sale of such products.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 4 April 2005
	The major risk identified from the use of consumer products containing tea tree oil comes from the sensitising potential of concentrated (greater than 2 per cent.) solutions, particularly if the product has been exposed to oxygen, sunlight or higher temperatures. However, the European Scientific Committee on consumer products has advised that the data available are currently insufficient to assess the potential risk of a range of toxic effects.
	The Committee requested that a complete package of data be provided in order for them to give an opinion on the potential risks. The conclusions will then be used to amend the cosmetics directive in order to make any restrictions on the use of tea tree oil in cosmetic products legally enforceable. In the meantime, industry has advised that tea tree oil should only be used in cosmetic products at concentrations at or below 1 per cent., and should be formulated and packaged in a way to minimise degradation.
	15 medicinal products containing tea tree oil, licensed under medicines legislation, are available in the United Kingdom. There may be other medicines that contain tea tree oil, which currently reach the market as unlicensed herbal remedies. These will potentially qualify to be registered under Directive 2004/24/EC when it is implemented on 30 October this year. To qualify for registration, products will have to demonstrate that they comply with the required evidence of traditional usage and that they meet the required standards of safety and quality.
	As with all medicines, the safety of medicinal products containing tea tree oil is closely monitored by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency. There are no safety concerns specific to the medicinal use of tea tree oil but all effective treatments may cause unwanted side effects in some patients, which may be the result of individual sensitivity to the medicine concerned.

University Hospital, North Durham

Kevan Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average cost of a scan undertaken by the University Hospital North Durham was in 200405.

Melanie Johnson: Information on the average costs of scans at individual trusts is not held centrally.
	The national average cost of an magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan in direct access, where a general practitioner refers a patient directly to a trust for treatment, for the 200304 financial year was 309.63.
	Source:
	National schedule of Reference costs Appendix 1 relating to financial year 200304.

Vulnerable Adults

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what measures are in place to monitor the effectiveness of procedures that ensure that all appropriate information about vulnerable adults, including information relating to risk, is made known when these adults move from English to Welsh counties.

Stephen Ladyman: Councils locally determine the procedures that ensure information about vulnerable adults, including information relating to risk, is appropriately managed. It is for councils to decide how information, identified through a needs assessment, is to be collected, stored and shared, with due regard to the requirements of the Data Protection Act 1998. The effectiveness of these measures is not monitored centrally.

Waiting Times (Leeds)

Paul Truswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting times for (a) inpatient and (b) outpatient treatment in hospitals in Leeds were in (i)1993, (ii) 1995, (iii) 1997 and (iv)the latest year for which figures are available, broken down by specialty.

Melanie Johnson: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

CABINET OFFICE

Sikh Community

Rob Marris: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what guidance the Cabinet Office has issued to Government Departments on separately (a) recognising and (b) monitoring service provision to British Sikhs in relation to race relations legislation.

Fiona Mactaggart: I have been asked to reply.
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

DEFENCE

Agency Budgets

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for financial years (a) 200102, (b) 200001, (c) 19992000, (d) 199899 and (e) 199798 the (i)Warship Support Agency, (ii) Veterans Agency and (iii) UK Hydrographic Office spent in Scotland in (A)monetary terms and (B) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: Both civilian and Service personnel data by agency are collated annually at 1 April and presented in Table 2.6 of UK Defence Statistics, a copy of which is held in the Library of the House. Further information on personnel figures is available on the DASA website at http://www.dasa.mod.uk
	The number of Service personnel employed by agency and location is not collated centrally, although the UK Hydrographic Office have confirmed from locally held records that no Service personnel have been employed in Scotland.
	A table showing numbers of civilian personnel by MOD agency, for the agency as a total and those employed in Scotland specifically, for the period 1 April 1997 to 1 January 2005, is available on the Defence Analytical Services Agency website, http://www.dasa.mod.uk, and is also lodged in the Library of the House.
	Information relating to the total personnel costs of each of these agencies is available from their respective Annual Report and Accounts, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.
	In the case of the Veterans Agency, the relevant publications relate to the War Pensions Agency, which was transferred to the MOD in April 2002 and subsequently took the name Veterans Agency.
	Before 1 April 2001, the Warship Support Agency was split between two organisations, the Ships Support Agency and the Naval Bases and Supply Agency.
	More detailed analysis of personnel costs by region could be supplied only at disproportionate costs, as the information is not held centrally.

Agency Budgets

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for financial years (a) 200102, (b) 200001, (c) 19992000, (d) 199899 and (e) 199798 the (i) Queen Victoria School, (ii) Pay and Personnel Agency and (iii) Naval Recruiting and Training Agency spent in Scotland in (A) monetary terms and (B) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland in these years; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: Total staff costs are published in the agencies' annual report and accounts for the relevant financial years, copies of which are available in the House and from the following agency websites at http://www.qvs.org.uk/and http://www.ppa.mod.uk/.
	Agency personnel costs on a regional basis are not recorded centrally or by the agency. However, the Queen Victoria school is based solely in Scotland, whereas the pay and personnel agency has confirmed from locally held records that it has attracted no staff costs in Scotland since its formation in 1996.
	Both civilian and Service personnel data by agency are collated annually at 1 April and presented in Table 2.6 of UK Defence Statistics, a copy of which is held in the Library of the House. Further information on personnel figures is available on the DASA website at http://www.dasa.mod.uk
	The number of Service personnel employed by agency and location is not collated centrally. In the case of the pay and personnel agency, locally held records confirm that no Service personnel have been employed in Scotland since the agency formation in 1996.
	A table showing numbers of civilian personnel by MOD agency, for the agency as a total and those employed in Scotland specifically, for the period 1 April 1997 to 1 January 2005, is available on the Defence Analytical Services Agency website, http://www.dasa.mod.uk, and is also lodged in the Library of the House.

Charge Cards

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what use is made of charge cards by officials in procuring defence equipment in excess of a value of 5,000.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Advertising Contracts

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many advertising contracts, and to what value, were signed by his Department in the periods (a) 1 September 2004 to 1 March 2005 and (b) 1 September 2003 to 1 March 2004, broken down by (i) television, (ii) radio, (iii) press, (iv) direct mail and (v)other advertising.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 2 March 2005
	Data on advertising contracts is not recorded by the categories requested and can be identified only from the UK Standard Industrial Classification Code 2003 allocated to the contract. The SIC code is used to record activities and products and is published and approved for use by the Office of National Statistics. Therefore, contracts and their values identified by Advertising SIC Codes for the periods in question are as follows.
	
		
			 SIC Code Description Date placed Contract value () 
		
		
			 Advertising Contracts for Period 1 September 2003 to1 March 2004 
			 22120 Advertising covering: 19 February 2004 25,000 
			  newspaper publishing (manufacture)   
			 
			 22220 Advertising covering: 8 September 2003 30,000 
			  catalogue printing and printed matter (manufacture) 22 December 2003 3,800 
			   20 January 2004 60,000 
			   3 October 2003 2,900 
			   13 November 2003 288 
			  
			 25240 Advertising covering: 4 December 2003 4,500 
			  advertising material made of plastic (manufacture) 23 October 2003 7,900 
			   8 January 2004 1,300 
			   17 November 2003 14,300 
			   26 September 2003 75,000 
			   26 November 2003 29,400 
			   10 December 2003 7,100 
			   11 November 2003 11,200 
			   11 February 2004 3,000 
			   7 January 2004 13,000 
			   11 February 2004 1,500 
			   11 February 2004 753 
			   18 February 2004 257 
			   11 February 2004 464 
			   11 February 2004 420 
			   11 February 2004 496 
			   11 February 2004 1,000 
			   1 September 2003 211 
			   23 December 2003 452 
			   16 February 2004 83 
			   17 November 2003 2,600 
			   26 February 2004 452,000 
			   18 February 2004 25,300 
			   18 December 2003 3,600 
			   16 February 2004 11,300 
			   9 September 2003 92,000  
			 31500 Advertising covering: 15 December 2003 180,000 
			  light (manufacture) 24 October 2003 1,700 
			   28 January 2004 77,400 
			   30 September 2004 37,200 
			   20 October 2003 9,100 
			   24 March 2004 2,000 
			   24 November 2003 32,200 
			   5 February 2004 17,100 
			   17 February 2004 7,700 
			   13 February 2004 48,400 
			   22 December 2003 370,200 
			   3 November 2003 26,100 
			   27 February 2004 139,300 
			   26 January 2004 1,800 
			   17 December 2003 6,400  
			 74400 Advertising covering: 17 November 2003 122,000 
			  campaign creation and realisation; advertising consultants; advertising material or samples delivery or distribution; advertising space or time sales or leasing activities   
			 92110 Advertising covering: 2 September 2003 46,500 
			  film production 4 November 2003 14,800 
			   6 February 2004 58,700 
			  
			 Advertising contracts for period 1 September 2004 to March 2005 
			 22220 Advertising covering: 20 September 2004 7,900 
			  catalogue printing (manufacture) 2 February 2005 14,800 
			   16 December 2004 455,000  
			 25240 Advertising covering: 6 December 2004 14,400 
			  material made of plastic (manufacture) 25 November 2004 87,900 
			   10 November 2004 364 
			   21 December 2004 4,100 
			   6 October 2004 463,700 
			   6 September 2004 663 
			   6 October 2004 672,900 
			   3 September 2004 845.00 
			   9 September 2004 2,500 
			   1 December 2004 16,800  
			 31500 Advertising covering: 10 December 2004 180,000 
			  light (manufacture) 17 January 2005 25,000 
			   21 December 2004 15,000 
			   22 October 2004 24,900 
			 174400  17 January 2005 24,700 
			   20 January 2005 8,500 
			   30 November 2004 57,300 
			   1 November 2004 25,300 
			   6 September 2004 11,000 
			   22 November 2004 920 
			  
			 74400 Advertising covering: 1 October 2004 600,000 
			  campaign creation and realisation; advertising consultants; 22 November 2004 16,000 
			  advertising Material or samples delivery or distribution;  advertising space or time sales or leasing activities 7 September 2004 127,600 
			  
			 92110 Advertising covering: 1 October 2004 45,000 
			  film production 1 October 2004 34,000 
			   1 October 2004 36,000 
			   1 October 2004 36,000 
			   1 October 2004 33,000

Annual Report and Accounts 200304

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the outcome of the appeal referred to in Note 13 (ii) of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 200304.

Adam Ingram: The appeals process is still continuing, and may not be concluded for about three years.

Armed Forces Compensation Scheme

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the new Armed Forces Compensation Scheme for injuries and deaths occurring after 6 April provides an exemption to the five-year limit for claims for deafness; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The general time limit for claiming injury benefits under the Armed Forces Compensation Scheme is five years from the date on which the injury occurs or, in the case of an illness, five years from the date the claimant first sought medical advice in relation to that illness. The time limit does not apply in certain circumstances to conditions that have late onsetfor example a cancer which is caused by an occupational exposure occurring more than five years before the onset of the disease. Hearing loss due to a service causefor example a blast injuryhas onset in close time proximity to the cause and so does not fall within the late onset provision.

Arms Exports (India)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the benefit to the UK (a) economy and (b) labour market of India's proposed purchase of 125 fighter jets; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Army Costs

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of a fully equipped infantry regiment was in the last year for which figures are available; how this cost would change if it were deployed to (a) combat and (b) non-combat roles overseas; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Such information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Army Discipline

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers who made complaints under Army redress procedures since 1997 subsequently committed suicide.

Adam Ingram: Our records indicate that since 1997 one soldier whose death was recorded by a coroner as suicide is known to have submitted a redress of complaint. There is no evidence to suggest that the redress, which was withdrawn, and the soldier's death were linked.

Army Discipline

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what have been the total (a) damages awarded against the Department and (b) Department's legal costs since 1997 with respect to cases in the British courts which relate to a decision of the Army Board under the redress system.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Army Discipline

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints that have been considered under Army redress procedures have resulted in legal action before the (a) employment tribunal, (b) High Court and (c) European Court of Human Rights since 1997.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence does not hold complete records dating back to 1997. During the period January 1999 and December 2004, our records indicate that there have been 33 Army redress of complaint cases which were the subject of an employment tribunal, and two cases which were the subject of a judicial review in the courts.
	We are not aware of any redress of complaints considered under Army procedures between January 1999 and December 2004 being subject to legal action in the European Court of Human Rights.

Army Discipline

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many decisions of the Army board on complaints under the redress system have been overturned by a court of law since 1997; for what reasons these decisions were overturned; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence does not hold complete records dating back to 1997. Since 1999, our records indicate that no redress of complaint decisions taken by the Army board have been overturned in a UK court of law.

Army Discipline

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many complaints have been considered by the Army board from soldiers who are serving, or who have served, at (a) Deepcut barracks and (b) ITC Catterick since 1997; and how many of those complaints related to issues of bullying or harassment;
	(2)  how many of the 197 complaints considered by the Army board between 1999 and 2003 related to issues of bullying or harassment;
	(3)  how many of the 63 complaints under Army redress procedures upheld or partially upheld between 1997 and 2003 related to issues of bullying or harassment; and how many (a) officers, (b) non-commissioned officers and (c) private soldiers were disciplined as a result.

Ivor Caplin: These questions relate to information I gave to the hon. Member in a written answer on 18 November 2004, Official Report, column 1806W. It has subsequently been found that there was an error in the statistics given in that answer relating to the number of redress cases considered by the Army board.
	Officials have urgently been examining those records. I wrote to the hon. Member on 6 April and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Army Discipline

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) officers, (b) non-commissioned officers and (c) private soldiers have been disciplined following the outcome of (i) an Army board decision, (ii) a divisional level decision and (iii) a unit level decision since 1997.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave him on 5 April 2005, Official Report, column 1373W.

Army Discipline

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many of the complaints under Army redress procedures upheld or partially upheld between 1997 and 2003 related to issues of bullying or harassment; and how many (a) officers, (b) non-commissioned officers and (c) private soldiers were disciplined as a result.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Army Discipline

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many complaints have been considered by the Army Board from soldiers who are serving, or who have served, at (a) Deepcut Barracks and (b) ITC Catterick since 1997; and how many of those complaints related to issues of bullying or harassment.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Army Discipline

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the conformity of the practice of administrative discharge through manning controls with (a) European Union legislation, (b) the European Convention on Human Rights and (c) the Employment Rights Act 1966.

Ivor Caplin: European Union employment legislation is reflected in the Employment Rights Act 1996, from which the armed forces are exempt. The European Convention on Human Rights contains no provision relating to the right to work. Notwithstanding the provision of law, the armed forces are governed in large measure by the royal prerogative which allows for the discharge of personnel through manning control measures.

Atomic Weapons Establishment

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of the current book value of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) was purchased from (a) foreign companies and (b) US companies; and what proportion of planned new expenditure at AWE sites is expected to be paid to (i) foreign companies and (ii) US companies.

Adam Ingram: Historic site valuation records for the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) are not held in a form that allows the provision of the valuation information requested. As regards future expenditure, allocations for which have yet to be finalised, the sub-contractors chosen by the AWE management and operation contractor, AWE plc, will depend on the outcome of commercial negotiations and activities conducted by that company. Projections relating to the likely nationality of such sub-contractors are not available and would in any case be speculative.

Atomic Weapons Establishment

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what expenditure the Atomic Weapons Establishment has been authorised to make in the United States in each year since 1997.

Geoff Hoon: As the appointed Management and Operation (M and O) contractor at the Atomic Weapons Establishment, AWE plc is not required to seek authorisation to make individual commitments in the United States within the scope of the M and O contract that fall outwith the Government-to-Government arrangements managed on behalf of the United Kingdom by Ministry of Defence officials.

Baha Mousa

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what insurgency material was seized in the raid that led to the apprehending of Baha Mousa.

Geoff Hoon: This case may be the subject of possible prosecution. I am therefore withholding this information for reasons of law enforcement and to avoid prejudicing any future legal action.

Beef Supply Contracts

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the monetary value of beef supply contracts for his Department has been in each year since 1997, broken down by contracts with (a) Scottish suppliers, (b) suppliers in the rest of the United Kingdom and (c) suppliers outside the United Kingdom.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Belgrano Files

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what circumstances have led to the proposed publication of the Government files on the sinking of the Belgrano in 1982.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Biometric Recognition Technology

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what use his Department is making of biometric facial recognition technology; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The MOD is currently aware of commercial technologies and is willing to exploit them as required for defence needs.

British Forces Post Office

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many people worked for the British Forces Post Office on (a) 1 January and (b) 1 January 2004; how many were employed in Scotland in each case; and what the personnel costs of the agency (i) are in 200405 and (ii) will be in 200506.
	(2)  how much of its personnel budget for financial years (a) 200102, (b) 200001, (c) 19992000, (d) 199899 and (e) 199798 the British Forces Post Office spent in Scotland in (i) monetary terms and (ii) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The information is as follows:
	
		Staff employed by British Forces Post Office -- Number
		
			  Agency totals Employed in Scotland 
			  January 2004 January 2005 January 2004 January 2005 
		
		
			 Civilian personnel 360 330 10 10 
			 Service personnel 210 200 0 0 
		
	
	Notes:
	1.This table uses the revised definition of civilian personnel (see www.dasa.mod.uk for details).
	2.The figures shown are full-time equivalents.
	3.All figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	4.Details of civilian personnel in Defence Agencies and MoD owned trading funds by UK country can be found in UKDS 2004 Table 2.36, available in the House of Commons Library
	Both civilian and service personnel data by Agency are collated annually at 1 April and presented in Table 2.6 of UK Defence Statistics, a copy of which is held in the Library of the House. Further information on personnel figures is available on the DASA website at www.dasa.mod.uk
	The number of service personnel employed by Agency and location is not collated centrally. However, locally held records indicate that no service personnel have been employed in Scotland. A table showing numbers of civilian personnel by MoD Agency, for the Agency as a total and those employed in Scotland specifically, for the period 1 April 1997 to 1 January 2005, has also been published on the Defence Analytical Services Agency website, www.dasa.mod.uk, and is also lodged in the Library of the House.
	The civilian workforce numbers have been collated from centrally held records and may be different to locally produced numbers. However, all numbers in the table are produced using the agreed standard definition of civilian workforce, in full-time equivalent terms (part-time staff are counted only in proportion to thenumber of hours worked compared to the normal full-time hours) and are rounded to the nearest 10 to preserve confidentiality.
	Data on projected personnel costs for 200405 and 200506 are not currently available.

Bugaled Breizh Trawler

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2004, Official Report, columns 41012W, on the Bugaled Breizh trawler, whether HMS Turbulent was due to participate in ASWEX 04 prior to suffering damage on 16th January 2004.

Adam Ingram: Yes.

Bugaled Breizh Trawler

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2004, Official Report, columns 41012W, on the Bugaled Breizh trawler, how long HMS Turbulent remained in Devonport after 16 January 2004.

Adam Ingram: HMS Turbulent remained in Devonport until 19 January 2004, when she sailed for Gibraltar.

Bugaled Breizh Trawler

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2004, Official Report, columns 41012W, on the Bugaled Breizh Trawler, what the itinerary was of the two Dauphin helicopters from FOST flying in the vicinity at the time of the sinking of the Bugaled Breizh on 15 January 2004.

Adam Ingram: The two Dauphin helicopters operating from FOST on 15 January 2004 were transporting personnel from Plymouth Airport to HMS Cumberland and HMS Edinburgh.

Bugaled Breizh Trawler

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2004, Official Report, columns 41012W, on the Bugaled Breizh trawler, which UK and French submarines participated in joint exercises in the vicinity at the time of the sinking of the Bugaled Breizh on 15 January 2004; and what their itinerary was.

Adam Ingram: HMS Torbay was participating in a UK-led Anti-Submarine Warfare exercise on 15 January 2004. She was a little over 100 nautical miles west of the Bugaled Breizh's reported position at the time of her sinking. FS Rubis was under French Operational Control in French exercise areas south of Ushant on the 15 January 2004 en route to participating in ASWEX 04.

Bugaled Breizh Trawler

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2004, Official Report, columns 41012W, on the Bugaled Breizh trawler, which French and Dutch vessels were in Devonport on 15 January 2004.

Adam Ingram: HNLMS Williem Van Der Zaan was alongside in the naval base throughout the day.
	The following French and Dutch vessels were under way in the harbour on 15 January 2004:
	FS Primauguet
	HNLMS Karel Doorman
	HNLMS Van Nes

Chinook

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the airworthiness review of the Chinook HC2 helicopter was conducted; and if he will place a copy of the review in the Library.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Chinook

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place copies of the 14 annexes and nine enclosures listed on Page 52 of the Chinook HC1 Airworthiness Review Report in the Library.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Chinook

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when each of the source software codes necessary for testing the airworthiness of the HC2 and HC2a Chinook helicopters were provided by the manufacturers in the USA to his Department.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 24 March 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Chinook

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the complete RAF Board of Inquiry into the crash of a RAF Chinook HC1 helicopter ZA672 on 6 May 1988.

Adam Ingram: I will place a copy of the Board of Inquiry into the crash of Chinook ZA672 in the Library. This has been redacted in accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

Chinook

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the legal advice provided to the reviewing officers in relation to the crash of RAF Chinook ZD576.

Adam Ingram: I am withholding the document requested as it is subject to legal professional privilege.

Conferences

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many conferences were (a) attended by officials from his Department, (b) cancelled by and (c) facilitated by his Department in each year since 1997; and what the (i) cost to the Department and (ii)location was in each case.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to reply to the question tabled by the hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr for answer on 21 February concerning the British Deputy Senior Judge Advocate in Iraq; and what the reason is for the delay in answering.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Cost Recovery (DFID)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the costs recovered by his Department from the Department for International Development in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 9 February 2005
	Costs recovered by the Ministry of Defence from the Department for International Development (DfID) for the 12 month period from 1 April 2004 to 31 March 2005 are set out as follows:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 Payroll services to DfID including: payroll and sickness incident reporting quarterly telephone line rental 20,786 
			   
			 Relocation, travel and subsistence costs associated with secondment of MOD personnel to DfID and DfID-led overseas visits 77,877 
			   
			 Cost of conveying DfID personnel in military aircraft 8,869 
			   
			 Total 107,532

Databases

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the fields of the (a) Force Structure database, (b) Procurement Plans database and (c) Defence Bills Authority databases.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Dean May

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the recommendations made by the judge following the conviction of Staff Sergeant Dean May for manslaughter at Winchester Crown court in July 2002; and what measures were taken to act upon these recommendations.

Adam Ingram: Although the Judge made a number of comments in his summing up of the case against Staff Sergeant Dean May he did not make any recommendations for further action. However, a number of measures were taken by the Ministry of Defence as a result of this incident.
	Following the court case, a Board of Inquiry investigated the circumstances surrounding the death of Mr. Pierre Bolangi. While the Board noted that actions to prevent a recurrence had already been taken locally and within the chain of command, it made a number of wider recommendations related to the policy and conduct of income generation activity. The Board also recommended revised procedures for dealing with the media and families after such an incident. The Defence Wider Markets Policy Group was tasked to look at the wider issues raised by the Board of Inquiry report on income generation. This led to the publication of a further guidance note clarifying the framework for conducting income generation activities and the constraints that govern them.

Deaths in Service

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many deaths in combat of (a) Iraqis and (b) British Forces occurred (i) during formal hostilities in Iraq and (ii) since the conclusion of formal hostilities in Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: Hostilities in Iraq concluded on 1 May 2003. Prior to that, 27 UK service personnel were killed in action. Since then, 22 UK service personnel have been killed in action. This does not include 10 UK service personnel missing believed killed following the C130 crash on 30 January 2005. The cause of that crash is still being investigated.
	There are no wholly reliable and comprehensive figures for Iraqis killed during or since military operations began in March 2003. The Iraqi Minister of Health's most recently released figures, based on records from some 180 hospitals, show that between 5 April 2004, when figures began to be collated, and 1 March 2005,6,265 Iraqis were killed. The Ministry of Health points out that this figure includes all Iraqis, including civilians, Iraqi Security Forces and insurgents, killed as a result of violence.
	The Ministry of Defence does not produce estimates of Iraqi military or civilian casualties. This is because UK military reporting is limited to the UK area of operations. But even within the UK area of operations reporting is limited to what troops see on the ground. So military reporting is incomplete and cannot provide the basis of Iraqi civilian or military casualty estimates.

Defence Employment (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the MOD Police; how many are employed in Scotland; what the figures were in each case in January 2004; what the personnel costs of the Agency are in 200405; and what they were in 200304.

Ivor Caplin: pursuant to the reply, 7 February 2005, Official Report, c. 1253
	I have to correct that information.
	The current Agency was formed in April 2004 by merging the Ministry of Defence Police and the Ministry of Defence Guard Service. The personnel in the Ministry of Defence Guard Service were dispersed across the Department and their number and personnel costs are not available prior to the merger. The full overall budget for the Agency in 200405 is 158.6 million.
	The number of people working in the Agency is shown in the following table:
	
		Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency
		
			  Full-time equivalents (FTE) as at 1 January 
			  2004 2005 
			  Total Scotland Total Scotland 
		
		
			 Ministry of Defence Police and Guarding Agency (police officers, MGS  officers and civilian support staff).   7,230 1,310 
			 Ministry of Defence Police (police officers) 3,680 840

Defence Expenditure (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for each financial year from 199798 to 200102 the Service Children's Education Unit spent in Scotland (a) in monetary terms and (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland in each year; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Defence Science

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures his Department has in place to encourage the retention of scientists (a) within DSTL and (b) engaged in research in other parts of the Department.

Adam Ingram: We recognise the value of scientific staff to the Department and have in place a number of measures to retain their expertise and experience. The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has strong head of profession leadership through the Defence Engineering and Science Group (DESG). The group supports technical staff by coordinating training, development, career progression and Chartership. In general, the Department is on a par with the best of major employers of specialists in terms of retention rates.
	The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (DSTL), with a turnover of 340 million, is the biggest employer of research scientists in the MOD. DSTL provides considerable training and development opportunitiestechnical training programmes are offered to develop and refresh technical knowledge and there is a Chartership Scheme accredited to eight professional institutions which is open to all staff.
	DSTL staff are also allowed time off to undertake further study such as MSc or PhD qualifications with relevant tuition fees paid. There are links with five universities for research purposes and staff are encouraged to spend time in other laboratories to ensure that knowledge remains current. Secondments are available to other areas of the Department and Government, UK industry and international laboratories. There is an internal symposium held annually to encourage networking and debate on topical research areas. There is a Scheme for Technical Education and Professional Support to encourage networking, conferences and events for junior staff and a Fellowship Scheme which gives recognition to senior staff who are acknowledged as national or international experts in their field.
	Similar benefits are available for scientists engaged in research in other parts of the Department, including the Hydrographic Office, the Meteorological Office and central MOD.

Defence Science

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what plans he has to increase DSTL funding for research projects.

Adam Ingram: The main role of DSTL is to provide core defence science and technology, that can only be performed within government. The MOD's Chief Scientific Adviser funds the majority of research at DSTL. There are currently no plans to significantly increase the funding for research in real terms at DSTL. However, MOD expenditure is reviewed biannually.

Defence Science

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what is the ratio of DSTL research spending, excluding spending contracted out to third parties, to DSTL spending on other activities in the last period for which figures are available.

Adam Ingram: The figures for the first 11 months of the financial year 200405 for the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory indicate that the ratio of the amount spent on scientific activities, including research but excluding that contracted out to third parties, to theamount spent on other activities was 4.2 to 1. The term other activities has been interpreted as costs of non-scientific functional support.

Defence Science

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence through what methods DSTL scientists acquire hands-on research expertise in the (a) science and technology projects and (b) equipment procurement areas of the technical projects upon which they are required to advise.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, DSTL, has a range of approaches to ensure that its scientists and engineers acquire and retain the knowledge and expertise required to discharge its roles within the Ministry of Defence (MOD). Hands-on practical research expertise is only one element, and DSTL is tasked to undertake part of the MOD's Research Building Block itself in a range of systems areas and a sub-set of sensitive defence technologies. In addition, DSTL undertakes the knowledge integration role for the Research customers which requires it to work closely with the other organisations in industry and academia engaged in hands-on research.
	DSTL encourages its staff to undertake research based MSc and PhD activities as well as having a commitment to their continuous professional development through membership of the appropriate professional institutes. To strengthen engagement in underlying technical areas where DSTL has limited hands-on work of its own, it has set up Co-operative Research Centres with academia to facilitate the exchange of staff and resources between DSTL and partner Universities. This allows DSTL staff to work within the partner University alongside external researchers who are engaged in MOD funded work, for example through the Joint Grant Scheme. DSTL has also entered into arrangements with industry to encourage staff secondment and established opportunities for staff interchange with other national and international laboratories.
	DSTL staff are also involved in oversight of the MOD Defence Technology Centres which are formal collaborative arrangements between industry and academic experts in particular technologies.
	These kinds of arrangement enable DSTL scientists to develop and extend their knowledge networks and improve the quality and context of its advice.

Defence Science

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the average salary of DSTL research scientists is.

Adam Ingram: The average salary of a research scientist working at the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory is currently 32,933.

Defence Science

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the Government's science and technology projects and equipment procurement spending in each of the last five years occurred without advice from (a) DSTL and (b) other technical sources.

Adam Ingram: All significant spending on Ministry of Defence science and technology projects and equipment procurement spending involves advice from a variety of appropriate technical sources, which include DSTL, QinetiQ, industry and academia. Such advice is synthesised by MOD technical experts.
	I am unable to comment on other Government Departments' science and technology projects and equipment procurement spending.

Defence Science

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what technical sources the Department used for impartial advice on the Government's (a) science and technology projects and (b) equipment procurement spending in addition to DSTL in each of the last five years.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) has its own staff within the Department in addition to Dstl to provide advice on both science and technology projects and equipment procurement. These resources have been available since before the formation of DSTL. MOD does use QinetiQ, industry and academia where appropriate and when impartiality can be assured. In these cases, the majority of final synthesis of technical advice is performed by MOD's own resources.

Defence Science

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) science, (b) technology projects and (c) equipment procurement budgets were for 200104; and what the value was of projects that overspent or overran by more than 10 per cent.

Adam Ingram: The budgets for MOD (a) research, (b) development and (c) equipment procurement are published in UK Defence Statistics 2004 (Tables 1.1,1.7 and 1.15). The research budget is generally applied to exploring speculative subjects and it is not amenable to the type of analysis requested. The chief scientific adviser supervises this work and the majority of the programme is contracted at ascertained costs. In the last few years this programme has been delivered substantially on budget.
	The performance of the equipment programme is reported within the MOD's Annual Report and Accounts 200304 (sections 121123 procurement performance) and further, more detailed, analysis is contained within the Report by Comptroller and Auditor General on MOD Major Project Report.
	The latest versions of the relevant publications are in the Library of the House.

Defence Service Agencies (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the (a) Defence Bills Agency and (b) Defence Dental Agency; how many in each agency are employed in Scotland; and what the personnel costs of the agency (i) are in 200405 and (ii) were in 200304.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Defence Service Agencies (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people worked for the Veterans Agency (a) in 200304 and (b) on the latest date for which figures are available; how many were employed in Scotland in each case; and what the personnel costs of the agency (i) were in 200304 and (ii) are expected to be in 200405.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Defence Service Agencies (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people work for the Defence Medical Education and Training Agency; how many are employed in Scotland; what the equivalent figures were in 2004; what the personnel costs of the agency are; and what they were in 2004.

Ivor Caplin: The average number of people employed by DMETA during the financial year 200304 was 2,270, less than five of whom were employed in Scotland. The Agency's personnel costs in the financial year 200304 were 95.74 million. Personnel numbers and associated costs for the current financial year will be subject to the outcome of routine audit by the National Audit Office and will form part of the Agency's Annual Report and Accounts which will be published and placed in the Library of the House later this year.

Defence Service Agencies (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for each financial year since 199798 the Meteorological Office spent in Scotland (a) in monetary terms and (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Defence Service Agencies (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for each financial year since 199798 the Medical Supplies Agency spent in Scotland (a) in monetary terms and (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: MSA staff costs for each year from 199798 to date, along with what was spent in Scotland in monetary terms and as a percentage of the total staff costs with the number of personnel employed in Scotland is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Financial year MSA total staff costs ( million) MDC Greenock staff costs ( million) MDC Greenock staff costs (percentage) Number of staff employed MDC Greenock(22) 
		
		
			 199798 5.170 n/a n/a 10 
			 199899 5.574 n/a n/a 10 
			 19992000 6.332 n/a n/a 10 
			 200001 6.412 0.108 1.68 10 
			 200102 6.225 0.131 2.11 10 
			 200203 7.310 0.130 1.77 10 
			 200304 7.596 0.125 1.65 10 
			 200405 (23) (23) (23) 10 
		
	
	(22)Figures have been rounded to preserve individuals' confidentiality.
	(23)Not yet available.
	Note:
	Medical Distribution Centre, Greenock, closed March 2005.

Defence Service Agencies (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for each financial year since 199798 the Defence Vetting Agency spent in Scotland (a) in monetary terms and (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Defence Service Agencies (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for each financial year since 199798 the Defence Transport and Movements Agency spent in Scotland (a) in monetary terms and (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Transport and Movements Agency (DTMA) formed in April 1999. None of its personnel was employed in Scotland during financial years 19992000 to 200304. During the current financial year 200405 around 20 personnel have been employed in Scotland, amounting to an estimated cost of 690,000, which is about 4.5 per cent. of the total personnel budget for DTMA.

Defence Service Agencies (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for each financial year since 199798 the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency spent in Scotland (a) in monetary terms and (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Storage and Distribution Agency (DSDA) was formed in 1999 and merged with Defence Munitions on 1 April 2003. Prior to the merger the agency only had a small number of employees located in Scotland at the Defence Regional Distribution Centre in Stirling. As a result of the merger DSDA inherited sites at Beith, Crombie and Glen Douglas, details of expenditure on personnel in Scotland, as a percentage of total personnel expenditure and numbers employed in Scotland for each of the respective years are as follows:
	
		
			 Financial year Expenditure on personnel in Scotland () Percentage of total personnel expenditure Number employed in Scotland 
		
		
			 19992000 437,841 1 40 
			 200001 391,767 1 40 
			 200102 417,966 1 30 
			 200203 449,766 1 20 
			 200304 18,527,495 16 800 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures for the last financial year are not yet available.
	The expenditure refers to DSDA employees only while the numbers employed in Scotland, provided by the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) include other Ministry of Defence employees working at DSDA sites.

Defence Service Agencies (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for each financial year since 199798 the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory spent in Scotland (a) in monetary terms and (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Defence Service Agencies (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for each financial year since 199798 the Army Base and Repair Organisation spent in Scotland (a) in monetary terms and (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Defence Service Agencies (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for each financial year since 199798 the Defence Medical Education and Training Agency spent in Scotland (a) in monetary terms and (b) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland in each case; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The Defence Medical Education and Training Agency (DMETA) was established on 1 April 2003, so no figures are available for financial years prior to 200304. In the financial year 200304 DMETA spent 80,000 on personnel in Scotland, which was 0.08 per cent. of the agency's total personnel budget.

Defence Service Agencies (Scotland)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for financial years (a) 200102, (b) 200001, (c) 19992000, (d) 199899 and (e) 199798 the Army Training and Recruiting Agency spent in Scotland in (i) monetary terms and (ii) as a percentage of the total personnel budget for that year; how many personnel were employed in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: Both civilian and service personnel data by agency are collated annually at 1 April and presented in Table 2.6 of UK Defence Statistics, a copy of which is held in the Library of the House. Further information on personnel figures is available on the DASA website at www.dasa.mod.uk.
	The number of service personnel employed by agency and location is not collated centrally. However, locally held records indicate that in 1997 there were 130personnel employed in Scotland, and 140 personnel from 1998 to 2002. These figures exclude any personnel employed in armed forces careers offices and Army career information offices in Scotland, for which no data are available.
	A table showing numbers of civilian personnel by MoD agency, for the agency as a total and those employed in Scotland specifically, for the period 1 April 1997 to 1 January 2005, is available on the Defence Analytical Services Agency website, www.dasa.mod.uk, and is also lodged in the Library of the House.
	The following table shows the personnel budget data available, showing the amount spent in Scotland in monetary terms, and as a percentage of the total personnel expenditure. Unfortunately, figures for 199798 are not readily available.
	
		
			  199899 19992000 200001 200102 
			 Total 
		
		
			 Scotland 5,182,396 5,674,874 5,968,815 5,760,019 
			 Total 428,893,609 455,442,962 471,740,366 510,427,591 
			 Percentage 1.21 1.25 1.27 1.13 
			  
			 Military 
			 Scotland 4,116,831 4,505,901 4,758,944 4,575,438 
			 Total 350,039,005 376,293,991 389,471,076 421,851,608 
			 Percentage 1.18 1.20 1.22 1.08 
			 Civilian 
			 Scotland 1,065,565 1,168,974 1,204,555 1,184,581 
			 Total 78,854,604 79,148,971 82,256,959 88,575,983 
			 Percentage 1.35 1.48 1.46 1.34

Departmental Accounts

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Ministers in his Department have issued written instructions to override his Department's accounting officer's objections since 1997.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by the Financial Secretary (Mr. Timms) on 14 March 2005, Official Report, column 80W.

Departmental Budget

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the planned (a) capital and (b) resource budget for his Department is for 201112.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend, the Financial Secretary (Mr. Timms), on 4 April 2005, Official Report, column 1170W.

Departmental Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost to his Department was for accountancy services in each of the last two years.

Ivor Caplin: Ministry of Defence expenditure on External Assistance (EA), of which accountancy services are a part, is contained in the MOD's annual return of expenditure on external assistance. Copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses for the years 199596 to 200304. This includes expenditure broken down by top level budget holders and trading funds. However, expenditure on accountancy services is not recorded as a specific category of EA and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the cost of building refurbishment carried out by his Department in each of the last two years.

Ivor Caplin: Refurbishment is not a term which the Ministry of Defence uses in gathering or recording financial information about the estate, as it can be regarded as capital or maintenance expenditure depending on the circumstances. Work on buildings, which might be categorised as refurbishment, can range from minor modifications and maintenance to the complete restoration of buildings, and the replacement of machinery such as lifts. Historic information is not currently held centrally or on a consistent basis and it would be impossible to answer the question without disproportionate cost and effort.

Departmental Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of (a) in-house canteen and (b) other catering services provided by his Department in each of the last two years.

Ivor Caplin: The cost of in-house canteen services is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The cost of other (contracted out) catering services was 89.5 million in 200203 and 98.6 million in 200304.

Departmental Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the cost of (a) ministerial cars and drivers and (b) taxis for his Department in each of the last two years.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on congestion (a) charges and (b) penalty charge notices by the Department since the commencement of the congestion charging scheme.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much has been spent on entertainment by his Department in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) food, (b) alcohol, (c) staff and (d) accommodation.

Adam Ingram: Information on expenditure on hospitality and entertainment for financial years 19902000 to 200304 (inclusive) has been published in our annual resource accounts. For earlier financial years, expenditure has been:
	
		
			  Cost ( million) 
		
		
			 199798 5 
			 199899 5.6 
		
	
	These figures reflect expenditure incurred by the MOD and by establishments and formations of the armed forces at home and abroad. I regret that a breakdown of the total figure by subcategory is not held and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	Expenditure on official entertainment is subject to strict departmental rules and compliance with the principles of propriety set out in government accounting.

Departmental Events

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) seminars, (c) workshops, (d) exhibitions and (e) press conferences which have been sponsored by his Department and which took place on non-departmental premises in each of the last two years giving the (i) title, (ii) purpose, (iii) date and (iv) cost of each.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much has been spent by his Department on lighting in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many items of electrical equipment were used by his Department in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (a) cost and (b) number of each type of item.

Adam Ingram: The costs of lighting equipment are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. The energy costs of lighting are subsumed in the appropriate utility heading; I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave him on 25 January 2005. A copy of the letter was placed in the Library of the House.

Departmental Finances

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value was of receipts from (a) royalties, (b) compensation and insurance receipts and (c) sales of licences that were (i) appropriated in aid of his Department and (ii) surrendered to the Consolidated Fund in each financial year since 199798.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Disabled People (Access)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether all Government buildings in his Department within the Greater London area are fully accessible to disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Dr. Wouter Basson

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  who authorised the visit of Dr. Wouter Basson of South Africa to Porton Down in 1985; for what purpose; and if he will make a statement.
	(2)  which UK Government (a) officials and (b) scientists are recorded as having met Dr. Wouter Basson of South Africa between 1975 and the collapse of the apartheid regime in South Africa; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Equal Pay (Northern Ireland)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will investigate whether there are salary disparities between staff at the same grades within the civilian security staff employed by his Department in Northern Ireland.

Adam Ingram: Civilian security staff in Northern Ireland, in common with most MOD civilian staff, are paid in accordance with pay scales for staff at their appropriate levels, rather than be paid a single rate for the job. Consequently, staff at the same level may receive different salaries dependent upon where they are on the pay scale. Following the negotiation and introduction of a multi-year pay deal in 2002, some civilian security staff were overtaken by others joining the Department later. The trades unions raised this with the Department and pay parity has since been restored for those affected.

EU Directives

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the European Union directives and regulations relating to his Department that have been implemented in each of the last two years, specifying (a) the title and purpose of each, (b) the cost to public funds of each and (c) the cost to businesses of each.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Euratom Regulation

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which installations and bases operated by or on behalf of his Department are subject to Euratom regulation; and which nuclear materials are subject to such regulation at each such establishment.

Adam Ingram: The UK position is that defence related installations and bases are not subject to Euratom regulation. Nuclear materials required for defence purposes are outside the safeguards provisions in Chapter 7 of the Euratom treaty. However, as announced in the Strategic Defence Review (Supporting Essay 5, paragraph 26), materials no longer required for defence purposes have been placed under Euratom safeguards. These are held on non-MOD sites.

Eurocorps

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 27 January 2005, Official Report, columns 53940W, on Eurocorps, if he will place a copy of the register listing the reports submitted in the Library.

Geoff Hoon: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

European Constitution

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the effect of the coming into force of the European Constitution on the operation of his Department, with reference to (a) changes in legislative competence, (b) the extension of qualified majority voting, (c) the increased legislative role of the European Parliament, (d) the cost of implementation of regulations, (e) the requirements of adherence to the Charter of Fundamental Rights and (f) the quantity of legislation originating in the EU institutions.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

External Suppliers

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many tenders were let by his Department to external suppliers in the financial year 200304; and what the value was.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Fallujah

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ask the US Administration to furnish him with information on the (a) numbers and (b) type of aerial attacks upon Fallujah between 1 and 15 November.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

First World War Medals

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to destroy any of the records of medals issued to First World War personnel.

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the preservation of military index cards relating to British servicemen in the First World War.

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements he will put in place to ensure that (a) all medal index cards are fully scanned when they are put on microfiche and (b) families have the option of receiving the originals if they express a desire to do so.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence, together with The National Archives, has been actively seeking to identify a suitable institution prepared to take these cards. So far, a home for just a small part of the collection has been found. No decision on the retention or destruction of the cards will be taken until all such avenues have been explored.

Freedom of Information

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what categories of information are available under Freedom of Information legislation that have not been provided in written parliamentary answers by his Department in the last three years.

Ivor Caplin: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer given by my hon. Friend, the Under-Secretary of State for Constitutional Affairs (Mr. Leslie) on 24 January 2005, Official Report, column 140W.

Gaelic Language

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's policy is on the use of the Gaelic language; and what plans his Department has to prepare and implement a Gaelic language scheme.

Adam Ingram: Action to support the Gaelic language is primarily the responsibility of Scottish Ministers.
	The Ministry of Defence attaches great importance to the promotion and protection of the Gaelic language in line with the United Kingdom's obligations under the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages.
	The Gaelic Language (Scotland) Bill currently before the Scottish Parliament does not extend statutory obligations on UK public bodies in Scotland in relation to the preparation or implementation of Gaelic language plans. However, UK Departments and public bodies which operate in Scotland maylike comparable Scottish public bodieshave a role to play in facilitating the use of the language.
	The Ministry of Defence has been working closely with colleagues in the Scotland Office and the Scottish Executive on the role we can play, voluntarily, in securing the status of Gaelic.

Gibraltar

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with (a) the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, (b) the Governor of Gibraltar and (c) the Government of Gibraltar on the future of the RAF runway at Gibraltar.

Adam Ingram: None, although the future of the airport in Gibraltar is being discussed within the Trilateral Forum, in which the Governments of the United Kingdom, Spain and Gibraltar are represented.

Gibraltar

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the basis is for the analogue parity agreement in pay and conditions between the Ministry of Defence Police and the Gibraltar Services Police.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 24 March 2005
	Following negotiations in 1979 between the Ministry of Defence and Gibraltar Service Police Staff Association agreement was reached re-affirming their commitment to the analogue principle enunciated by Sir Jack Scamp in his report dated 1975. The Gibraltar Services Police (GSP) analogue is the Ministry of Defence Police in the United Kingdom. Any pay conditions applicable to Ministry of Defence Police are automatically applied to GSP.

Gliding

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the value of gliding training and practice to the armed forces.

Adam Ingram: Gliding training and practice is challenging outdoor training for service personnel in specific adventurous activities, involving controlled exposure to risk, to develop leadership, teamwork, physical fitness, moral and physical courage, among other personal attributes and skills vital to operational capability.

Gliding

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which gliding clubs are supported by his Department in the Portsmouth/Gosport area; and whether this support is projected to continue.

Adam Ingram: There is one Naval Gliding Club in the Portsmouth area, but this is not supported by public funds. However, the Royal Naval Gliding and Soaring Association (RNGSA) do have access to bursary funding, which is available to encourage young persons into flying and eventually careers in the Royal Navy.

Gulf War Syndrome

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many claims in respect of Gulf War related illness have been (a) rejected and (b) accepted by the Veterans Agency, Blackpool; and how many claims have been allowed the right of appeal.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Gulf War Veterans

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Gulf War veterans are in prison; for what reason each was imprisoned; and what treatment has been provided to them.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence does not monitor the number of ex-Service personnel (including veterans of the 199091 Gulf Conflict) in HM Prisons, as prison records do not contain data of the type which permits the identification of ex-Service personnel.

Harrier Aircraft

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the value was of the contracted task raised against the Harrier Post Design Services Contract.

Adam Ingram: There are a large number of contracts in place to provide logistic support to the Harrier GR7 and Sea Harrier aircraft and many of these will include provision for Post Design Services (PDS). To separately identify individual contracted PDS tasks would be very time consuming and at disproportionate cost.

Harrier Aircraft

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the expected in-service date of the Harrier GR9 jet is.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Hearing Loss

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of whether an additive relationship exists between noise-induced hearing loss and age-related hearing loss; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence's clinical practice in this area is based on publicly available knowledge that an additive relationship does exist between noise-induced hearing loss and age-related hearing loss.
	This is based on information in the following references:
	King P. F., Coles R. R. A., Lutman M. E., Robinson D. W. (1992) Assessment of Hearing Disability, Whurr Publishers, London
	Coles R. R. A., Lutman M. E., Buffin J. T. (2000) Guidelines on the diagnosis of noise-induced hearing loss for medicolegal purposes. Clin. Otolaryngol. 25, 264273
	Copies of these will be placed in the Library of the House.

Hearing Loss

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the armed forces are recorded as having sustained noise-induced hearing loss on service in Iraq since March 2003.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 4 April 2005
	Information on specific injuries sustained on Operation Telic is not held centrally, and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Helicopters

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place copies in the Library of all (a) reports, (b) memoranda, (c) audits and (d) other evaluations that were produced (i) by Boscombe Down and (ii) on behalf of Boscombe Down during flight trials of the Chinook Mark 2 helicopter, including those covering the engine-control software before 3 June 1994.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Helicopters

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of all (a) reports, (b) documents and (c) memoranda produced by, or on behalf of, Boscombe Down in 1988, concerning software in the Chinook HC2 helicopter.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Helicopters

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 2 March 2005, Official Report, column 1231W, to my hon. Friend the Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr. Soames), on helicopters, whether he expects the Chinook Mark 3 helicopter, including the six aircraft delivered to the UK during 200102, to enter service before the planned phasing out of the Mark 2 and Mark 2a Chinooks in 2015 and 2025.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Heroes Return Programme

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many grants have been made under the Heroes Return scheme to (a) organisations and (b) individuals in Banff and Buchan; and if he will give details of the amounts of the grants.

Adam Ingram: To date eight awards to individuals in Banff and Buchan have been made totalling 7,685.00. No organisations have made applications.

Heroes Return Programme

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people from Chorley have participated in the Heroes Return programme.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has been advised by the Big Lottery Fund that to date a total of 61 people (27 veterans, 12 spouses, four widows and 18 carers) from Chorley have participated in overseas commemorative visits funded by the Heroes Return programme.

HRH Prince Andrew

John Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions HRH Prince Andrew has used the Department's vehicles, vessels and planes for private use in (a) 2003 and (b) 2004; and at what cost.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Illegal Drug Crops

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of military intervention to eradicate the cultivation of illegal drug crops internationally was in each of the last 20 years, broken down by country.

Adam Ingram: The United Kingdom has not conducted military intervention operations in any country over the past 10 years to eradicate illegal drug crop cultivation.

Inglis Barracks

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with (a) Barnet council and (b) the Mayor of London concerning the future of the site at Inglis Barracks, Mill Hill when it is no longer required by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Discussions with the London borough of Barnet as to the future use of the site and the council's intention to establish a Development Framework Agreement for Mill Hill East are in progress. As part of this process, officers from the London borough of Barnet visited the barracks on 10 March 2005, together with representatives from the Greater London authority, Transport for London and English Partnerships.

Inglis Barracks

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department will start to market the site at Inglis Barracks, Mill Hill; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply given by my hon. Friend, the Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Caplin) on 24 January 2005, Official Report, column 51W. Decisions about marketing have yet to be made.

Inglis Barracks

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to preserve the historic officers' mess building at Inglis Barracks, when British Forces Post Office vacate the premises; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The future of the Officers' Mess building at Inglis Barracks, once the British Forces Post Office vacates the site, is being considered in conjunction with the local planning authority (and other bodies, including English Partnerships) as part of discussions to formulate a development framework for the site and its surrounds.
	The Mill Hill Preservation Society has expressed an interest in purchasing the Inglis Barracks Officers' Mess and the immediate environs for the benefit of the people of Mill Hill.

Inglis Barracks

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to ensure a continuation of light industrial use of (a) all and (b) part of the Inglis Barracks, Mill Hill site when it is no longer required by his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: Future uses for the Inglis Barracks site will be identified in the planning framework agreement for the site and adjoining land. This is being commissioned by the planning authority, the London borough of Barnet.

Interrogation/Counter-Resistance Policy

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reason and in what capacity Colonel Chris Terrington saw a version of the CJTF-7 Interrogation and Counter-Resistance Policy document in December 2003.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Interrogation/Counter-Resistance Policy

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether the UK officer acting as Deputy Senior Judge Advocate in Iraq advised his superiors in the UK chain of command that interrogation techniques included in the CJTF-7 Interrogation and Counter-Resistance Policy document were (a) inhumane under UK case law and (b) constituted a potential breach of the Geneva Conventions in the view of the Government;
	(2)  whether the UK officer acting as Deputy Senior Judge Advocate in Iraq advised the United States authorities that some of the interrogation techniques included in the CJTF-7 Interrogation and Counter-Resistance Policy document were (a) inhumane under UK case law and (b) constituted a potential breach of the Geneva Conventions in the view of the Government.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Interrogation/Counter-Resistance Policy

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the letter to the hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr of 31 January 2004 from the Minister of State in his Department 
	(1)  what general comments were made by the British Deputy Staff Judge Advocate on the draft of the interrogation and counter-resistance policy document;
	(2)  which sections and which drafts of the interrogation and counter-resistance policy were seen by the British Deputy Staff Judge in the Office of Colonel Marc Warren;
	(3)  whether the British Deputy Senior Judge Advocate submitted regular reports to his British superiors;
	(4)  whether the British Deputy Senior Judge Advocate saw the 12 October update of the interrogation and counter-resistance policy document.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ask his United States counterpart to investigate claims made by former US Marine Jimmy Massey that US Coalition Forces in Iraq shot dead unarmed Iraqi civilians at roadblocks in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Iraq

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether private security firms and personnel are employed in the (a) management and (b) running of prisons and detention centres under the control of the UK in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to hold an independent investigation into deaths that have occurred in British custody in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 20 January 2005
	All deaths of Iraqis in British custody in Iraq have been or continue to be subject to rigorous Service police investigation. Where there is a case to answer, individuals will be called to account before an independent court, either military or civilian.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many investigations have been held into deaths and injuries allegedly caused by UK forces in Iraq; and what the status of each investigation is.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 21 January 2005
	I refer the hon. Member to my answer given on 3 March 2005 Official Report, column 1341W.

Iraq

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many representations have been made to UK military authorities in Iraq by prisoners of war of (a) Iraqi and (b) other nationality in accordance with their rights under article 78 of the third Geneva convention.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps his Department took to secure the United Nations World Food Programme sites on the outskirts of Basra; what assessment he has made of what was looted from the programme at the site; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his reply of 18 November 2004, Official Report, column 1830W, on Iraq, when he will write to the hon. Member for Birmingham, Selly Oak.

Adam Ingram: I wrote to my hon. Friend on 30 March 2005.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many persons arrested in Iraq by UK forces have been transferred to the custody of the United States.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether British service personnel have made allegations of mistreatment of detainees by US service personnel at Camp Bucca in Um-Qasr.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 10 February 2005
	We are not aware of any such claims. Throughout the period that UK detainees were at US Camp Bucca (10 April15 December 2003) there were two teams of UK service personnel, a UK PW Registration Unit and a Prisoner Monitoring Team. The monitoring team regularly inspected prisoner conditions and monitored family visits and the release of UK prisoners. They did not report any incidents of deliberate detainee mistreatment at the Camp.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports (a) Ministers, (b) officials and (c) armed services personnel have received on alleged kidnappings by members of the Badr Brigade in South-East Iraq.

Adam Ingram: There have been numerous reports relating to the activities of the Badr Corps that have been seen by the Ministry of Defence.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether the British Deputy in the Office of the Senior Judge Advocate in Iraq asked Major George O'Kane to investigate allegations of abuse at Abu Ghraib;
	(2)  whether the British Deputy in the Office of the Senior Judge Advocate in Iraq received a copy of the International Committee of the Red Cross working paper based on a visit to Abu Ghraib in October 2003.

Adam Ingram: holding answers 25 February 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his letter to the hon. Member for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr of 31 January, what the remit was of the British Deputy in the Office of the Judge Advocate in the areas of (a) detainees and (b) operational law.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 25 February 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Iraq

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) combatant and (b) non-combatant deaths during the conflict in Iraq; and how this number was calculated.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 21 March 2005
	A total of 76 UK Service personnel have died while serving on Operation Telic, 49 of whom were killed in action. A further 10 are missing believed killed in the C130 crash on 30 January, the cause of the crash is under investigation.
	The United Kingdom armed forces do not have the information that would enable a reliable estimate of the total number of combatant or non-combatant Iraqi casualties arising from the conflict to be made. This is because UK military reporting is limited to UK area of operations. But even within the UK area of operations reporting is limited to what troops observe directly or learn from reliable sources.

Iraq

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any detainees originally captured by UK forces have been detained in Camp Cropper.

Adam Ingram: Two high value detainees initially taken into custody by the UK were held at Camp Cropper. Their cases have now been transferred to the Iraq special tribunal, and as such they are no longer being detained under UK authority.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials of his Department played a part in the preparation of the Iraqi casualty figures released on 29 October 2004 by the interim Iraqi health minister; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the original Iraqi statement.

Bill Rammell: I have been asked to reply.
	The Iraqi casualty figures were collated and prepared by the Iraqi Ministry of Health. I have placed a copy of the statement in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if his Department will offer assistance to the Iraqi Government for testing Iraqi citizens who have been exposed to depleted uranium ammunition deployed by the UK in Iraq.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence (MOD) will provide appropriate advice to the Iraqi Government on testing for Iraqi citizens if requested.

Iraq

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British troops are under investigation with regard to activities in Iraq but have not yet been charged.

Adam Ingram: As at 4 April 2005, 46 members of the armed forces have been reported in relation to incidents where non-UK third parties have allegedly been killed or injured. The bringing of charges against 23 of these is under consideration by prosecuting authorities.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what advice was given to armed service personnel on appropriate material with which to hood prisoners in Iraq prior to the prohibition of this practice.

Adam Ingram: The hooding of detainees for the purposes of arrest or transit was used by UK troops when there was a strong military reason to do so, during the early stages of Operation Telic. Sacking material was used to hood the detainees.
	The practice of hooding was discontinued when there was no longer a military justification for continuing to do so.

Iraq

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his latest estimate is of the number of (a) UK forces killed, (b) UK forces seriously injured, (c) Iraqi forces killed, (d) Iraqi forces severely injured, (e) Iraqi civilians killed and (f) Iraqi civilians severely injured in Iraq since March 2003.

Adam Ingram: 76 UK Service personnel have been killed in Iraq since March 2003 and 10 are missing believed killed. As at 28 February 2005, 2,937 personnel have been medically evacuated, the majority of these are due to illness. The MOD statistics held centrally on personnel medically evacuated since the beginning of Operation TELIC are not broken down into seriously or non-seriously injured or into combat and non-combat injuries prior to August 2004. Between August 2004 and 28 February 2005, 82 Service personnel have been injured in action in Iraq.
	There are no wholly reliable and comprehensive figures for Iraqis killed during or since military operations began in March 2003. The Iraqi Minister of Health's most recently released figures, based on records from some 180 hospitals, show that between 5 April 2004, when figures began to be collated, and 1 March 2005, 6,265 Iraqis were killed. The Ministry of Health points out that this figure includes all Iraqis, including civilians, Iraqi Security Forces and insurgents, killed as a result of violence.
	The Ministry of Defence does not produce estimates of Iraqi military or civilian casualties. This is because UK military reporting is limited to the UK area of operations. But even within the UK area of operations reporting is limited to what troops see on the ground. Military reporting is therefore incomplete and cannot provide the basis of Iraqi civilian or military casualty estimates.

IT Projects

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list his Department's IT projects in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) amount spent, (b) purpose, (c) cost of over-run and (d) time of over-run.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

IVF Treatment

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons IVF treatment is not available to service personnel or their spouses in Germany through (a) his Department, (b) the British Forces Germany Health Service and (c) primary care trusts while they are posted overseas.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 5 April 2005
	A number of options are available to service personnel and their dependants requiring IVF treatment while posted to Germany:
	Although the British Forces Germany Health Service (BFG HS) is not funded for the provision of full IVF and equivalent treatment, it does fund the investigation of infertility and the provision of drug treatments following IVF. This takes place in our primary care facilities or our regional contracted German hospitals. It will also fund correction of any anatomical abnormality that may be causing infertility. In addition Artificial Insemination by Husband (AIH) is available at one of our contracted German hospitals.
	A patient can seek private treatment in Germany bearing the full cost themselves. In unusual cases presenting strong medical/social reasons for IVF treatment, BFG HS may pay for treatment.
	If a patient has embarked on investigation or treatment in the UK on a NHS programme and is then posted to Germany, they receive full administrative support, including the provision of transport by air trooper. The MOD also takes a sympathetic view with regard to the posting of personnel while they are undertaking a course of treatment in the UK by deferring the posting if it is the individual's wish and if it is possible to do so.
	For patients wishing to return to the UK to begin treatment for IVF, the BFG HS makes use of the excellent facilities offered by a charity based service which is provided at Hammersmith Hospital in London at no cost to the patient or the MOD. In these cases BFG HS authorises transport by air trooper. In other instances where personnel wish to be posted back to the UK and this is supported by their posting authority, they can be referred to their local Primary Care Trust (PCT) in the UK for the duration of the treatment.
	The Department is currently re-formulating its policy on IVF treatment to ensure it is consistent with the standards contained in the current National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) guidelines.

Joint Service Publications

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a list of his Department's extant Joint Service Publications.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Joint Strike Fighter Programme

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the Joint Strike Fighter programme.

Adam Ingram: The Joint Strike Fighter will replace the Harrier GR7 and GR9. The UK is the only Level One partner with the US on the programme. There are seven other nations at lower levels within the System Design and Development (SDD) Phase under an International MOU signed in 2001. The weight difficulties which emerged last year with the STOVL variant have been satisfactorily resolved.

Lancashire Regiment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on how the new name of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment, King's Own Borderers Regiment and King's Regiment was arrived at.

Adam Ingram: The process of restructuring the infantry has been worked through by the Army who consulted widely. Colonels of individual regiments were directly involved in the consultation process through the Colonels Commandants of the Divisions of Infantry. As part of this process those infantry divisions affected by the changes were asked to suggest options for new regimental titles. Of the options put forward by the King's Division, the proposed title of the King's, Lancashire and Border Regiment, was felt by the Executive Committee of the Army Board to best reflect the antecedent regiments from which it will be drawn.

Leasing

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by his Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Lockheed F-22

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations the Department has received from the United States on purchasing the Lockheed F-22.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

MARS Project

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress of the MARS project.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 21 March 2005, Official Report, column 572W, to the hon. Member for Blaby (Mr. Robathan).

Medals

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) campaign and (b) war medals have been issued in each of the last five years; and how many of each were made of (i) silver and (ii) cupro nickel.

Ivor Caplin: I refer my hon. Friend to the answer I gave him on 10 January 2005, Official Report, column 76W.

Military Abuse (Investigation)

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the terms of reference are of the general investigation into abuse announced by General Sir Mike Jackson on Friday 25 February.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 3 March 2005
	The review announced by the chief of the general staff (CGS) will be wide- ranging and will involve extensive consultation both within and beyond the Army and the Ministry of Defence. Presently the review is looking at three main strands: doctrine (particularly the preparation of personnel for all tasks and scenarios they may face); secondly, officer and non-commissioned officer training and performance; and the disciplinary system. Its scope will be widened if new issues arise from any further cases which may come to trial. It will also examine issues surrounding recent and current investigations into individual training.
	The Terms of Reference for the review are as follows:
	1. You are to consider what measures need to be taken in order to safeguard and improve the Army's operational effectiveness in the light of:
	(a)Allegations of abuse in Iraq 1 .
	(b)Criticism in the House of Commons Defence Committee and Adult Learning Inspectorate reports on the training organisation, and other relevant reports into Deepcut.
	2. You are to consider issues of both substance and perception, in the short and long term.
	3. You are to take your direction from assistant chief of general staff, and are to make recommendations as required, reporting formally in three and six months time, through assistant chief of the general staff to chief of the general staff.
	4. You are to consult as necessary with:
	(a) MODDirector general media and communications, deputy chief defence staff (personnel) and Iraq secretariat.
	(b) HQ's adjutant general and LAND (including appropriate legal staffs).
	(c) Permanent joint headquarters.
	(d) Royal Navy and RAF.
	(e) Chief of the general staffs briefing team, the continuous attitude survey, other sources of internal and external data.
	5. Where necessary you are authorised to communicate with the media under normal media rules.
	1 This will require, among other things, detailed scrutiny of issues arising from Iraq related abuse trials.

Military Bodies (Funding)

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the grant in aid for the (a) Royal Navy Sports Board, (b) Army Sports Board, (c) Royal Air Force Sports Board, (d) Association of Royal Navy/Royal Marine Families and (e) Army Families Federation was for financial years 199798 to 200304.

Adam Ingram: The grants in aid were as follows:
	
		000
		
			  199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Royal Navy Sports Board 62 84 108 149 25 96 258 
			 Army Sports Board 315 259 263 264 316 306 317 
			 Royal Air Force Sports Board 104 15 42 70 139 99 122 
			 Association of Royal Navy  Royal Marine Families 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Army Families Federation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Ministerial Visits

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the official engagements that he has undertaken in the UK in the last three months on which he has been accompanied by the local hon. Member; and what the costs were of each visit.

Geoff Hoon: In the last three months I have undertaken the following official engagements at which the local hon. Member was present:
	25 January
	Visit to the Royal Monmouthshire Royal Engineers (Militia)
	Huw Edwards MP
	Cost-Nil
	8 February
	Repatriation Ceremony at RAF Lyneham
	James Gray MP
	The cost of the RAF BAe 146 aircraft which was used to transport all the senior MOD officers and officials who attended the ceremony, including the Secretary of State, was 1,835.
	24 February
	Visit to RAF Cosford and the Defence Storage and Distribution Agency
	Peter Bradley MP
	It was necessary to use a Royal Navy Jetstream aircraft to transport the Secretary of State plus officials, at a cost of 1,153, as road or rail travel did not allow time to complete morning engagements in London, as well as to undertake this programme.
	28 February
	FSTA preferred bidder announcement at AirTanker, Broughton and visit to Raytheon, Broughton
	Mark Tami MP
	CostNil

Navigational Aids

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his Department's expenditure on naval navigational aids was in each of the last 10 years for (a) Northern Ireland, (b) England and Wales, (c) Scotland and (d) each military port in the UK.

Adam Ingram: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (John Thurso) on 17 November 2004, Official Report, column 1536W.

Navigational Aids

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what research he has conducted into the provision of naval navigational aids for (a) military ports and (b) other Ministry of Defence maritime installations in the UK.

Adam Ingram: None.

Navigational Aids

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what representations he has received from (a) other Government Departments and (b) Trinity House regarding the provision of naval navigational aids by providers other than his Department;
	(2)  what consultations he has had with (a) public and (b) private sector bodies regarding the provision of navigational aids for military ports by other providers within the UK;
	(3)  if he will make a statement on the result of the assessment phase undertaken for the long term public-private partnership/private finance initiative acquisition programme for the future provision of marine services.

Adam Ingram: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross (John Thurso) on 16 November 2004, Official Report, column 1288W. Since then, the two UK registered bidders have each submitted two proposals; one for the complete scope of work and one incorporating, as a partner, the MOD's royal maritime auxiliary service who, together with Serco Denholm, are responsible for the current services through a Government owned-contractor operated arrangement. On current plans, a preferred bidder will be announced by the end of the year.

Navigational Aids

Gwyneth Dunwoody: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what recent assessment he has made of the value for money of the present arrangements for provision of navigational aids at naval installations.

Adam Ingram: I refer to hon. Member to the answers I gave today on OD arrangements for the provision of navigational aids were last tested in 2001, following the submission of a proposal from another Government Department. The scope of the present arrangements has been included in the Statement of Requirement for the PPP/PFI acquisition programme competition that is currently being carried out for the future provision of marine services and will form the benchmark against which the value for money of the four proposals will be assessed.

Newspapers/Periodicals

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) newspapers and (b) periodicals taken by his Department in each year since 1997; and how much the Department spent on each in each year.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Nuclear Weapons

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to alter the alert status of British nuclear weapons.

Geoff Hoon: None.

Oil for Food Programme

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions took place between the military authorities in the UK and their counterparts in (a) Russia, (b) France and (c) China before the military action in Iraq of 2003 concerning the interruption of the Oil for Food programme.

Geoff Hoon: We have been unable to locate any records that indicate discussions concerning the interruption of the Oil for Food programme took place between the military authorities in the UK and their counterparts in Russia, France and China before the military action in Iraq of 2003.

Overseas Deployments

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether British service personnel have been deployed or seconded to (a) Guantanamo Bay, (b) Guam and (c) Diego Garcia since 1994.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Parliamentary Questions

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the projects being undertaken by his Department in respect of which information cannot be given in answer to parliamentary questions as a result of commercial confidentiality.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Parliamentary Questions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will answer the questions, reference (a) 204944 and (b) 204945 tabled for answer on 13 December 2004.

Adam Ingram: In respect of parliamentary question 204945 my hon. Friend, the Under-Secretary of State for Defence (Mr. Caplin) replied to the hon. Member on 1 March 2005, Official Report, column 1144W, and on 3 March 2005, Official Report, column 1342W, in respect of parliamentary question 204944.

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will reply to question reference (a) 217452 tabled on 18 February and (b) (i) 201842, (ii) 201845 and (iii) 201832 tabled on 30 November 2004 by the hon. Member for Hereford.

Ivor Caplin: I replied to the hon. Member today.

Parliamentary Questions

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will answer questions reference (a) 219028, (b) 219029, (c) 219030, (d) 219031, (e) 219032, (f) 219033 and (g) 219034 tabled on 24 February.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 4 April 2005
	I replied to the hon. Member today.

Parliamentary Questions

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to reply to the question tabled by the hon. Member for the Isle of Wight for answer on 21 March 2005, reference 222937.

Ivor Caplin: I am answering the hon. Member's question today.

Porton Down

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many war pensions have been awarded since 1 January 2002 to service personnel who took part in experiments at the chemical defence establishment, Porton Down; and which of these are attributable to the experiments.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Porton Down

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) production and (b) testing on animals of botulinum toxin takes place at (i) Porton Down and (ii)other Departmental establishments.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Porton Down

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what investigation there has been as to what manuals, documents, other materials, and information Dr. Wouter Basson of South Africa was given during and subsequent to his visit to Porton Down in 1985; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Porton Down

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which employees of Porton Down visited South Africa in the period from 1975 until the collapse of the apartheid regime; for what purpose; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Porton Down

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what records his Department has retained relating to pre-1975 visits to South Africa by employees of Porton Down.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements have been made for soldiers in Perth constituency suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder following their tour of duty in Iraq.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 4 April 2005
	Information on arrangements for personnel suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), further to their tour of duty in Iraq, cannot be broken down into specific geographical areas.
	In-patient treatment for service personnel returning from Iraq and suffering from PTSD is provided through the MOD's contract with the Priory Group for the provision of all in-patient mental health care services for the MOD across the UK.

Prisoners of War

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) detainees, (b) security internees and (c) enemy prisoners of war in Iraq transferred by British forces to the United States military have been subject to any form of sensory deprivation.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisoners of War

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reports he has received from the (a) UK Prisoner of War Registration Unit and (b) Prisoner Monitoring Team at Camp Bucca.

Adam Ingram: None. The UK Prisoner of War Registration Unit and the Prisoner Monitoring Team, both at Camp Bucca when it held prisoners for whom the U.K responsibility, reported to Multi-National Division (South East).

Private Contractors

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions have taken place with private contractors on replacing work currently undertaken by departmental staff.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 24 February 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Procurement

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many procurement contracts were entered into by his Department in each year since 1981 in which (a) Northrop Grumman Corp and (b) a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corp was designated as (i) the prime contractor and (ii) subcontractor; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: A list of the number of contracts entered into by the Department in each year since 1981 in which (a) Northrop Grumman Corp or (b) a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corp acted as (i) the prime contractor or (ii) subcontractor cannot be given in full as departmental records are only available from 1991 onwards. In addition, information relating to subcontracts is not held centrally by the Department and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the company has provided information on numbers of subcontracts relating to UK subsidiaries, although this covers a limited period from 2000 onwards.
	According to departmental records the number of contracts entered into by the Department in each year since 1991 in which (a) Northrop Grumman Corp or (b) a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corp acted as the prime contractor is listed in the following table.
	
		
			  Number of contracts 
		
		
			 1991 (Part year) 1 
			 1992 3 
			 1993 1 
			 1994 3 
			 1995 8 
			 1996 5 
			 1997 7 
			 1998 9 
			 1999 10 
			 2000 9 
			 2001 5 
			 2002 7 
			 2003 13 
			 2004 12 
			 2005 (Part year) 0 
		
	
	The company has confirmed that since 2000, approximately 17 subcontracts were entered into in which (a) Northrop Grumman Corp or (b) a subsidiary of Northrop Grumman Corp (registered within the UK) acted as subcontractor to other primes.

Puma Aircraft

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library copies of the Airworthiness Review Report into the Puma aircraft.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

QinetiQ

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment his Department has made of the potential for conflicts of interest where QinetiQ is competing for departmental contracts; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

QinetiQ

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what role QinetiQ plays in (a) testing and (b) evaluating the effectiveness of military training programmes.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Queen's Lancashire Regiment

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many members of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment were issued with the aide memoire on the law of armed conflict; and on what dates.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Queen's Lancashire Regiment

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) representations, (b) letters and (c) petitions opposing the merger of the Queen's Lancashire Regiment were received by his Department; how many signatures there were in each case; whether that information was presented to the Army Board; and how many board members voted on each side in the decision on the merger.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

RAF Defensive Aid Suites

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the technology of the in-service Defensive Aid Suite.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

RAF Leeming

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) military and (b) civilian personnel are employed at RAF Leeming.

Adam Ingram: There are approximately 1,570 Service and 280 civilian posts at RAF Leeming.

Recruitment

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list by nation and region of the UK selection figures for each of the services for the most recent year for which figures are available.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 2 February 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Regional Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what regional (a) bodies, (b) institutions, (c) taskforces, (d) panels, (e) offices and (f) organisations the Government have established since May 1997 which are the responsibility of his Department.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence has not established any regional bodies, institutions, taskforces, panels, offices or organisations since 1997. This reflects the nature of the Department's work.

Religious Counsellors

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  what the limits are of confidentiality offered by the Padre or religious counsellor in an Army barracks setting; what (a) guidelines and (b) advice are available to newly appointed officers regarding the limits of such confidentiality; and what provisions are made for periodic advice on the subject to be given to such appointees through the chain of command;
	(2)  on how many occasions in the past five years complaints have been made concerning the Padre or religious counsellor in (a) Catterick, (b) Deepcut, (c) Bullingdon barracks and (d) HMS Lympstone; what disciplinary action was taken in each case; and what the outcome was of that action;
	(3)  if he will place in the Library the advice and directions regarding confidentiality and complaints concerning bullying that have been given through the chain of command to the Padre or religious counsellors at Catterick barracks.

Ivor Caplin: All welfare work, including that conducted by Chaplains or religious counsellors, is conducted within the Army code of confidentiality, information about which is widely available throughout the Army.
	The core element of the code of confidentiality is the legal and professional obligation not to disclose private information about another without consent. There are however exceptional circumstances when information can be disclosed, and in some circumstances must be done so without an individual's consent. These are:
	Where there is a risk of harm to the individual or others
	In order to prevent a serious criminal act
	If there is a serious contravention of military law
	If there is, or likely to be, a serious breach of national security
	If the soldier is no longer able to carry out his/her duty (and not disclosing would have a detrimental effect on operational effectiveness)
	There have been no formal complaints in the last five years against Chaplains at any of the establishments listed.

Research

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many and what percentage of opportunities for research and consulting disseminated by his Department resulted in (a) research reports and (b) physical deliverables in (i) 200102, (ii) 200203 and (iii) 200304.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Resource Account Codes

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library his Department's resource account codes for financial years 200102 to 200304.

Adam Ingram: Yes.

Resource Budgeting

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether additional civil servants were employed to deal with resource budgeting in the Department.

Ivor Caplin: Some 2,400, mainly finance and information technology, staff were engaged in the implementation of resource accounting and budgeting in the MOD over the period 1996 to 2001. It is not, however, possible to distinguish accurately between those posts which were additional and those which had been redeployed from legacy processes and systems.

Royal Anglian Regiment

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is his intention to post the (a) 1st and (b) 2nd Battalion of the Royal Anglian Regiment for tours of duty in Iraq in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The 1st Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment will be deploying to Iraq in the forthcoming weeks to undertake a six month tour. There are no current plans to send the 2nd Battalion The Royal Anglian Regiment to Iraq in the next 12 months.

Royal Army Dental Corps

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the (a) manning levels and (b) activities of the Royal Army Dental Corps.

Adam Ingram: Manning levels for the Royal Army Dental Corps (RADC) as at 1 February 2005 are shown in the following table against the establishment.
	
		
			  Establishment Strength 
		
		
			 Officers 180 170 
			 Soldiers 270 240 
			 Total 450 410 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures rounded to the nearest 10.
	The principal activities of the RADC are: force preparation, (ensuring that the Army is dentally fit for operational task); support to deployed forces on operations, including support to the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force as appropriate; and the provision of an NHS equivalent service to forces dependants based overseas. The RADC operates in all base locations worldwide and all operational theatres.

Royal Irish Regiment

Peter Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 14 December 2004, Official Report, column 1010W, on the Royal Irish Regiment, if he will provide the information available on the average working hours for the junior rank operational soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment.

Adam Ingram: Information on the average working hours specifically for junior rank operational soldiers of the Royal Irish Regiment could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	DASA carry out a continuous sample survey of working patterns which provides an estimate of the average working hours per person, per week, for each service, but the Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service) are not included and the sample is insufficient to report on average working hours at the level of detail requested.
	The results of the 200304 survey gave an estimate of an average of 47.1 hours worked per week for all regular trained junior ranks in the Army.
	Hours worked includes time spent carrying out normal work, secondary duties, compulsory fitness training, organised sports and representational activities but excludes meal and tea breaks and time spent on call.

Royal Navy

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he last assessed the needs of the Royal Navy for fleet auxiliary support; what the present (a) provision and (b) demand are assessed to be; and what forecast his Department has made of future demand.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my right hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Royal Navy

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will define what is meant by (a) normal support and (b) reduced support for Royal Navy ships.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 14 March 2005
	Normal support is the best possible support to FLEET units within the Defence Logistics Organisation's current ability.
	Under reduced support, health and safety demands will be met and certain operational capabilities will also be fully maintained.

Sea King Helicopters

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the implications for Royal Naval Aircraft Yard Fleetlands of the Government's proposals for the servicing of Sea King helicopters.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Sergeant Paul Connolly

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the outcome of the investigation into the death of Sergeant Paul Connolly at Shaibah logistic base on 26 December 2004 was; on what date a Board of Inquiry was opened; where and on what date the funeral was; and whether there will be an inquest.

Adam Ingram: The Service police investigation into the death of Sergeant Paul Connolly has not yet concluded. A Service Board Inquiry to examine the circumstances surrounding his death was convened on 28 January 2005.
	The funeral arrangements are a matter for Sergeant Connolly's next of kin. The decision to hold an inquest is a matter for HM Coroner.

Space Technology

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial contribution his (a) Department and (b) non-departmental public bodies made to civil space technology in 200405; and what financial provision has been made for the period 200506 to 200910.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Sudan 1

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) the Food Standards Agency, (b) the Health Protection Agency, (c) the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, (d) the British Retail Consortium and (e) the Institute of Grocery Distribution Emergency Planning Liaison Group have had discussions with DSTL Porton Down in connection with contamination of the food chain by Sudan 1 dye; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Surface Combatants

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 10 March 2005, Official Report, columns 19956W, on surface combatants, if he will list the members of the Surface Ships Support Study.

Adam Ingram: In order to comply with our obligations to protect the identity of individuals, we will not be releasing the names of the members of the Surface Ship Support Study. This is consistent with the principles of the Data Protection Act 1998.

Sustainable Timber

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the refurbishment projects in his Department that (a) are in progress and (b) will start in the next six months; what action is being taken to ensure that these will procure timber from legal and sustainable sources; and whether guidance will be issued to contractors on each of these projects to ensure that the timber used on site during refurbishment also comes from legal and sustainable sources.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Swan Hunter

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 3 February 2005, Official Report, column 1017W, on Swan Hunter, what the technical difficulties were; what the costs associated with each one were; whether there were technical difficulties relating to inaccuracies in measurements; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: Swan Hunter's design for the LSD(A) vessels was based upon the modification of the Enforcer Class concept design by the Dutch Royal Schelde shipyard, which was itself based upon the proven HNLMS Rotterdam. The company's successful bid for the design and construction of the first two ships was to adapt this existing concept design to meet the Statement of Requirement specified in the MOD's Invitation To Tender. The company subsequently encountered difficulties in adapting the design to the UK specification as the concept itself and the modifications needed were shown not to be as mature as they had previously believed. This underestimation of the degree of design work needed resulted in additional work that had not been costed in the company's bid. In September 2003 when the full scale of the additional work became clear the company announced that it would be unable to complete the contract without an adjustment to the original price. The 84 million contract amendment agreed in December 2004 reflected the additional cost to the company needed to complete the programme and was awarded only after full consideration of the options, from which the MOD assessed that the contract amendment offered the optimum value for money solution in the delivery of the LSD(A) capability. In addition to the 84 million needed to address the Swan Hunter design difficulty, 3 million has been added since the start of the contract to address design changes as a consequence of Naval and statutory safety requirements that were not fully defined at the time of the original contract placement. The MOD is unaware of any significant difficulties relating to inaccuracies in measurements.

Taskforces

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department spent on taskforces and similar bodies in each year since 1997.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 20 December 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Tornado Crash

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the complete RAF Board of Inquiry into the crash of RAF Tornado F3 ZH558 on 1 September 1994.

Adam Ingram: I believe the right hon. Member may be confusing two different accidents. Tornado F3 ZH558 crashed in Cyprus on 8 July 1994, and on 1 September 1994 a Tornado GR1A crashed in Scotland.
	My hon. Friend the Under-Secretary of State for Defence replied to the right hon. Member on 8 March 2005, Official Report, column 1671W, about the crash which occurred on 8 July 1994, and on 8 March 2004, Official Report, column 1674W, about the crash which occurred on 1 September 1994.

Training Courses

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) cost to the Department, (b) title and (c) location was of each training course organised by his Department for its staff in each financial year since 199798.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Training Courses

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what financial penalties were paid in each financial year since 199798 to training providers by the Department for training courses prepared for its staff which were subsequently cancelled at the Department's request.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Trident

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in which countries the arming, fusing and firing system components of Trident nuclear warheads are manufactured; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I am withholding the information requested as it relates to national security.

Trident

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  in which countries the (a) neutron generators and (b) the gas reservoirs of Trident nuclear warheads are manufactured; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  in which countries the gas reservoirs for Trident nuclear warheads are filled with tritium; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him on 8 July 2004, Official Report, columns 82930W, by my right hon. Friend the Minister of State for the Armed Forces (Mr. Ingram).

Trident

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether nuclear material related to the Trident nuclear system is transported through Glasgow; and through which Scottish (a) constituencies and (b) local authorities nuclear material related to the Trident nuclear system has passed in each of the last five years.

Geoff Hoon: It is not Ministry of Defence policy to comment upon the timings or routes used during the transportation of nuclear material related to the Trident nuclear system as this would prejudice national security. However, I can confirm that nuclear material related to the Trident system may be transported through those areas as detailed in the publicly available Local Authority and Emergency Service Information (LAESI) Document.

UK Military Lawyers

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list UK military lawyers who have been based in Iraq since the start of recent military operations; and what the role and function has been of each.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 24 January 2005
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Veterans Agency

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much of its personnel budget for financial years (a) 200203 and (b) 200304 the Veterans Agency spent in Scotland (i) in monetary terms and (ii)as a percentage of the total personnel budget; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Veterans Lapel Badge

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence for what reasons veterans of Suez and other conflicts since the Second World War are ineligible to receive the Veterans Lapel Badge inscribed with the words HM Armed Forces Veterans; and if he will take steps to include this group of former servicemen and women amongst those eligible for this badge.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 21 March 2005
	All veterans who served in the First or Second World Wars, and widow(er)s whose spouse served during those wars and died as a result of service in the armed forces and who are accordingly in receipt of a war widow(er)'s pension are currently entitled to receive a Veterans Badge. Also, with effect from 1 February 2005 servicemen and women who now leave the Service, subject to certain conditions, are also entitled.
	When the demand from World War veterans has been satisfied, we plan to extend eligibility to other veterans as resources allow. It is envisaged that this will be done on a chronological basis, dealing first with veterans of the inter-war years and those who served in the 1940s after the end of the Second World War. Veterans who served in the 1950s, which includes those who served in Korea and Suez, will be included in the following tranche.

Vote Registration (Service Men)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action his Department has taken to increase the number of servicemen that are registered to vote.

Ivor Caplin: As I assured the hon. Member for Chichester during the Adjournment debate on 8 December last year, we have worked closely with the Electoral Commission to improve awareness in the service community of the options to register to vote.
	The answers to the hon. Member for Mid-Sussex (Mr.Soames) on 21 December 2004, Official Report, column 1575W, and the hon. Members for North Wiltshire (Mr. Gray) and Southend, West (Mr. Amess) on 10 January 2005, Official Report, column 13, and 7 February 2005, Official Report, column 1169, respectively to questions during the Defence Debates, also explained that an internal information campaign began at the end of January.
	A Joint Service Defence Council Instruction providing full information and practical help to service personnel on how to register and explaining the various voting options open to them was also published at the same time.

Welsh Language Scheme

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether his Department's Welsh language scheme was approved by the Welsh Language Board; and on what date the scheme was implemented.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence's Welsh language scheme was approved by the Welsh Language Board on 15 June 1999 and came into being on that date.
	Except where otherwise agreed with the Welsh Language Board, the commitments in the scheme were implemented from the date it was approved.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

China

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations he has made to the Chinese Government on the rights of religious minorities; and if he will make it his policy to exert pressure on China to increase religious freedom.

Bill Rammell: We are concerned about religious freedom in China, including the treatment of religious minorities, and monitor the situation closely. During his most recent trip to China in January 2005 my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary raised progress on the ratification of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which contains provisions on freedom of conscience and religion. The case of house church leader, Pastor Zhang Rongliang, was also discussed.
	We raise a number of concerns about religious freedom at our biannual UK/China Human Rights Dialogue, the last round of which was held in Beijing on 22 November 2004.

Constitution for Europe

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a copy of the proposed Constitution for Europe available in every public library in the United Kingdom.

Denis MacShane: A copy of the commentary on the treaty establishing a constitution for Europe has been sent to all central libraries and European Public Information Centres in the UK. The commentary contains the full text of the treaty itself as well as an introduction and analysis of the text, line by line. The full text of the EU constitutional treaty and commentary are available free at www.europe.gov.uk.

Correspondence

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes of 1 February 2005 about transporting a fishing boat hull mould from RAF St. Mawgan to Sri Lanka.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 9 March 2005
	I regret the delay, however the hon. Member's letter was transferred to the Department for International Development. My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development replied to the hon. Member on 4 April.

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the hon. Member for Walsall, North will receive a reply to his letter of 26 January regarding a constituent, reference GV100/97610/MD.

Chris Mullin: A reply to my hon. Friend was sent on 6 April. I apologise for the delay in responding.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he intends to answer the letters from the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton, with regard to (a) Mr. Rashid, dated 14 February, (b) Mrs. Iqbal, dated 18 January, (c) Mrs. B. Reid, dated 23 February, (d) Mr. Fernando, dated 18 January and (e) Hira Khalid, dated 19 January.

Chris Mullin: In regards to my right hon. Friend's correspondence concerning Mr. Rashid, Mr. Fernando and Mrs. B. Reid, I refer my right hon. Friend to the reply I gave him on 6 April 2005, Official Report, column 1486W.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary replied to my right hon. Friend's letter of 18 January concerning Mrs. Iqbal on 6 April.
	I replied to my right hon. Friend's correspondence on Hira Khalid on 1 April.

Disaster Victim Identification

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what procedures he has established for disaster victim identification following a major overseas incident.

Chris Mullin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Ethiopia

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with the Ethiopian Government in (a) 2004 and (b) 2005.

Chris Mullin: We hold regular discussions with the Ethiopian Government. I have spoken with Ethiopian Prime Minister Meles on many occasions since the beginning of 2004, most recently on 24 February 2005. These discussions have focused on a range of issues, including: the Ethiopia-Eritrea Border Dispute, human rights, poverty reduction and the forthcoming Ethiopian parliamentary elections on 15 May.

Ethiopia

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Ethiopia.

Chris Mullin: We continue to have concerns about the human rights situation in Ethiopia. In the Memorandum of Understanding we signed with Ethiopia in January 2003, the Government of Ethiopia made a commitment to protect the full range of human rights of all Ethiopians, especially the poor. We are supporting the implementation of this commitment through our regular dialogue with the Ethiopian Government, as well as carefully monitoring their performance.

EU Constitution

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 23 March 2005, Official Report, column 891W, whether the Government have requested that (a) the European Parliament and (b) other institutions of the European Union do not intervene or fund activities in the referendum on the EU Constitution.

Denis MacShane: The European Parliament (EP) and European Commission have a legitimate role in the provision of objective and factual information on the EU and its activities. This role must of course respect the constitutional and democratic processes of the member states. The Government have been in contact with the EP and the Commission about the provision of information on the EU Constitutional Treaty, including in relation to the referendum, and will continue to liaise with them on these issues.

European Funding

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list projects for which the Department has provided joint funding with the European Commission and other institutions of the European Union during the past five financial years; and what funding is planned for such projects in this financial year

Denis MacShane: pursuant to the reply on 4 April 2005, Official Report, c. 108990W
	My answer of 4 April to the hon. Member was incorrect. The correct answer should read as follows:
	The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has worked together with various European institutions on a number of projects in the last five years.
	In October 2003, the FCO and European Commission jointly organised the Europe United football tournament as part of the plans to celebrate EU enlargement. In early 2004 the FCO produced with Commission support booklets explaining the benefits of EU enlargement that were sent to the nine English regions and the devolved administrations. On 24 April 2004, there was Europe DayMeet the Neighboursa jointly organised FCO-Commission project which celebrated EU enlargement.
	The European Parliament funded jointly with the FCO a number of Wilton Park conferences: The European Union's Strategic Priorities (1416 September 2000); Reforming the Governance of the European Union: Towards an ever closer EU? (2224 October 2001); How Can Parliamentarians Best Re-Engage the Public? (912 June 2003); The Future of Europe: What kind of Institutional and Security arrangements do we want (September 2002). In addition, the European Parliament hired an Exhibition Space at the Europe Day.
	The FCO and EU institutions also jointly fund a number of development projects outside the UK.
	No jointly-funded projects are currently planned for this year, with the exception of FCO development projects.

Guatemala

Tony Lloyd: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the human rights situation in Guatemala since the election of President Oscar Berger;
	(2)  what representations have been made to the government of Guatemala regarding the 1996 Peace Accords concerning human rights and commitments made to the international community at the 2003 Consultative Group meeting.

Bill Rammell: When I visited Guatemala in January 2004 I stressed the importance of human rights issues with the new Vice President and other members of the government. We and our EU partners continue to encourage the Guatemalan government to implement in full the 1996 Peace Accords. Our Embassy follows the human rights situation closely and enjoys close relations with human rights organisations in Guatemala. We are presently supporting projects that are seeking to bring to justice the perpetrators of human rights abuses as well as promoting reconciliation.
	Although Guatemala's civil war ended in 1996, serious questions about respect for human rights in Guatemala remain. However, we have noted the positive efforts President Berger has made since his inauguration on 14 January 2004 to tackle human rights problems in Guatemala. His first public act was to declare his commitment to the 1996 Guatemalan Peace Accords and on 25 February 2004 he announced the establishment of a new national commission to oversee their implementation. These include undertakings to compensate the surviving family members of massacres that took place during the conflict. President Berger has also appointed a respected human rights campaigner, Frank la Rue, to his Cabinet as the Head of the Presidential Commission on Human Rights.

Iain Hook

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what information he has provided to the BBC about the shooting of Iain Hook by the Israeli Defence Force in Jenin.

Chris Mullin: This was a high-profile case and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Press Office may well have handled requests for information from the BBC. The Press Office does not, however, keep records of all contact with the media and we cannot therefore confirm what information was provided to the BBC.

Iain Hook

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the Israeli government about the shooting of Iain Hook in Jenin.

Chris Mullin: Representations were made to the Israeli Government at the highest level about the shooting of lain Hook. My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary spoke to the Israeli Foreign Minister on 22 November 2002 and my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister raised it with Israeli Prime Minister Sharon on 29 November 2002.

Iain Hook

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what contribution he has made to United Nations inquiries into the shooting of Iain Hook in Jenin.

Chris Mullin: The United Nations conducted their own independent investigation into the death of lain Hook. We liaised with all appropriate authorities on behalf of the Hook family, including the United Nations and the Israeli Government, in trying to secure a satisfactory resolution to the case.

Illegal Drugs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the total value was of UK aid to supplier countries donated with the specific intention of eradicating the cultivation of illegal drugs in each of the last 20 years; and to which countries such aid was given.

Bill Rammell: The total value of UK aid to Afghanistan on eradication in financial year 200405 was 2,695,008. Various options for eradication aid are being worked up for 2006 and a decision will be taken in June 2005.
	In 1994 the UK supplied two helicopters for use by the Pakistani anti-narcotics force (ANF) to assist with opium poppy eradication and other operational counter narcotics activity in Pakistan. Figures are not immediately available for the cost of the purchase of the helicopters. Since 1994, we have supported the ANF to the sum of approximately 1.4 million to help service and maintain the aircraft for use for the same purposes.

Iran

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations the Government have made to the Iranian Government on human rights.

Bill Rammell: Promoting human rights is an important element of UK and EU policy towards Iran. We press the Iranian authorities frequently on general issues and on individual cases of particular concern. In recent months, my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary, my right hon. and noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, and I have all discussed human rights with the Iranian ambassador in London. I did so on 7 February. With our support, EU representatives called on the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on 24 November and 21 December 2004 to discuss specific cases. Recent representations have focused on the sentencing of juvenile offenders, the rights of religious minorities and freedom of expression.

Iran

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs on what occasions and for what purpose he has visited Iran in the last two years; whom he met on each occasion; and what matters were discussed.

Bill Rammell: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary has visited Iran twice in the last two years. In June 2003, he met President Khatami; the Foreign Minister, Dr Kharrazi; and the Secretary General of the Supreme National Security Council, Dr Rouhani. The subjects discussed included UK/Iran bilateral issues, Iran's nuclear programme, terrorism and Iraq. In October 2003, my right hon. Friend visited Iran with his French and German colleagues to discuss Iran's nuclear programme. He again met President Khatami, DrKharrazi and Dr Rouhani.

Iraq (Legal Advice)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what requests he has received from the parliamentary ombudsman to release details of when Ministers first sought advice on the legality of military action to invade Iraq; what response was made; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We have received a report from the ombudsman dated 11 February 2005, recommending that we release the date on which the Government first sought legal advice about the legality of military action against Iraq to the noble Lord, Lord Lester of Herne Hill QC. However, we have declined to comply with this recommendation on the grounds that the release of this information would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion.

Israel

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 March 2005, Official Report, column 459W, on Israel, whether Minister Paz-Pines gave an indication of what the level of a certain age is above which he expects Palestinians to be allowed to be reunited with their families when the citizenship and entrance to Israel law is reviewed on 31 May.

Bill Rammell: Minister Paz-Pines did not give an indication of the age above which he expects Palestinians to be allowed to be reunited with their families when the citizenship and entrance to Israel law is reviewed on 31 May.

Kenya

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what measures he is taking to restitute to the Kenyan Government funds invested in the UK by the Khmer Moi regime.

Chris Mullin: We do not comment on individual requests for mutual legal assistance, but I understand that we are currently considering four cases regarding Kenya. We take seriously all allegations of corruption and misuse of public funds and will be very happy to assist with any further requests we receive from the Kenyan Government.

Legal Assistance

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what provision his Department makes for assistance to UK citizens encountering long delays in legal actions in other EU countries.

Chris Mullin: Under international law we cannot interfere in on-going legal proceedings in another country. Our own proceedings are similarly protected.
	However, where there are unreasonable delays in criminal proceedings overseas in a case involving a UK national, we may consider, on a case by case basis, whether it would be appropriate to raise the issue with the state concerned. We would take into account any relevant information from the individual's lawyer before doing so.

Maajid Nawaz

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations the Government have made to the Egyptian authorities concerning the detention of Maajid Nawaz and others in prison in Cairo.

Chris Mullin: My right hon. and noble Friend the Baroness Symons of Vernham Dean, Minister of State at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, last raised the cases of Majid Nawaz, lan Nisbet, and Reza Pankhurst with the Egyptian Foreign Minister on 9 March. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office remains in touch with all the men's families and will inform them immediately of any developments.

Mrs. Inna Isaacs

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when he expects an independent adjudicator to hear the appeal of Mrs. Inna Isaacs from Brixham, Devon; and if he will make a statement on the time taken to set a date for the hearing.

Chris Mullin: I regret that I cannot provide this information, as it is not our practice to disclose details of individual entry clearance cases in a public forum. I have, however, written to the hon. Member.

Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he will attend the forthcoming Non-Proliferation Treaty Review Conference.

Denis MacShane: holding answer 21 March 2005
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary will not be present at the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference in May, but he has asked John Freeman (the UK Permanent Representative to the Conference on Disarmament) to head the UK delegation.

Non-proliferation Treaty Review Conference

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of whether there is a need to strengthen the nuclear non-proliferation treaty to ensure that signatory states are not able to exploit the treaty by obtaining nuclear technology under the guise of a peaceful civilian nuclear energy programme.

Denis MacShane: The United Kingdom supports the efforts being made by a number of bodies to consider how to ensure that nuclear technology acquired under Article IV of the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT) cannot be diverted to weapons programmes, either while a state is still party to the treaty, or following withdrawal from it. We hope to continue this discussion at the upcoming NPT review conference in May, and are working towards an outcome which strengthens the non-proliferation regime to deal better with these challenges.

Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what response he (a) has made and (b) plans to make to the request by his Indian counterpart on 28 March that the nuclear weapons states party to the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty agree to irreversible and verifiable cuts in their nuclear arsenals as a condition of India signing the Nuclear Non-proliferation Treaty.

Denis MacShane: The Government, including Ministers, have frequent contact with their Indian counterparts and are familiar with India's views on nuclear proliferation matters, including Natwar Singh's speech at the Conference on Emerging Nuclear Proliferation Challenges held in Delhi on 28 March. The Government were not represented at this conference and is not intending to make a response to Mr. Singh's speech. Mr. Singh's speech gives no indication that India is willing to become a State Party to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty which, by the terms of the treaty, they can only do as a non-nuclear weapon state.

Services Directive

Ian Davidson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the proposed EU Directive on Services.

Denis MacShane: The European Council of 2223 March 2005 underlined that a fully operational internal market in services is vital to promoting growth and employment, and to strengthening competitiveness.
	The services sector in Europe contains vast untapped potentialservices account for over two-thirds of EU GDP, but for only 20 per cent. of intra-EU trade. Independent analysis from Copenhagen Economics predicts that the draft Services Directive could create 600,000 jobs.
	As my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister made clear in his Statement to the House on the European Council on 24 March 2005, Official Report, columns 10131015, the services directive will be at the heart of the next phase of the Lisbon programme. Negotiations are still at an early stagewe will work closely with the EU institutions and with our European partners to address genuine concerns and to build a broad consensus as anticipated in the council conclusions.

Sudan

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement on the post of UK Special Envoy to Sudan.

Chris Mullin: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary announced on 12 February 2002 the creation of the position of UK special representative for Sudan, to support the peace process in Sudan, and in particular the negotiations on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). The CPA was signed on 9 January this year, following intense work by the special representative with both sides to that conflict.
	The present special representative will leave his post at the end of April. The UK remains committed to peace throughout Sudan, and we will ensure the strong continuation of our engagement in implementation of the CPA, and maintain and strengthen our engagement in the resolution of the conflict in Darfur. We are currently reviewing the position of UK special representative.

Tariq Aziz

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what access Tariq Aziz has had to his lawyers Emile Ludot and Mathieu Faupin in the last 12 months.

Bill Rammell: Tariq Aziz has a named counsel of record registered with the Iraq Special Tribunal (IST). This counsel of record is an Iraqi national and qualified member of the Iraqi bar. He is free to see his client providing one of them makes an official request for access. M. Emile Ludot and M. Mathieu Faupin are not registered as co-counsel with the IST. Nor have requests to visit Mr. Aziz, who they claim is their client, been received from them by the IST. It has not proved possible to obtain official confirmation of the number of occasions Mr. Aziz has seen his registered lawyer since he was detained in the time available before Prorogation. However, it is believed that two visits have taken place, one meeting being in private and one meeting at the initial hearing before the investigative judge.

Terrorism

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the sources of information on terrorist violence that were used for each organisation proscribed under the Terrorism Act 2000.

Charles Clarke: I have been asked to reply.
	It is not the policy of the UK Government to discuss intelligence matters.
	However, all information supplied on proscribed organisations will be evaluated very carefully, and decisions to proscribe or deproscribe are taken after careful consideration of all relevant aspects.

Uganda

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has made representations to the Ugandan authorities regarding the statement by the Defence Minister Amama Mbabazi in Pyongyang that North Korea deserves to defend itself by any means, including nuclear weapons.

Chris Mullin: We have made no representations to the Ugandan authorities on this matter.

Uganda

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the ability of the forum for democratic change to operate freely in Uganda.

Chris Mullin: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness (Mr. Simmonds) on 8 March 2005, Official Report, column 1796W.

Uganda

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the Ugandan authorities regarding the visit by the Ugandan Defence Minister Amama Mbabazi to Pyongyang and his statement that North Korea deserves to defend itself by any means, including nuclear weapons.

Chris Mullin: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South (Mr. Hancock) today (UIN 218268).

Uganda

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what action his Department has taken to counter the Lord's Resistance Army campaign in Northern Uganda.

Chris Mullin: We have received a large number of representations from non-governmental organisations and concerned individuals regarding efforts to combat the Lord's Resistance Army campaign and end the conflict in Northern Uganda. We are working closely with other members of the international community to this end.
	The British Government believe that the northern Uganda problem cannot be resolved solely through military action. Since late 2004, the UK, along with a number of other countries and international organisations, has been backing a local initiative to end the conflict through mediation. This is led by a former Government Minister for Northern Uganda, Betty Bigombe. The process is continuing.

HOME DEPARTMENT

National Offender Management Service

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether responsibility for the Probation Service remains with probation boards; whether arrangements were changed under the arrangements set out in the written ministerial statement of 20 July 2004; and whether those arrangements will change under the latest blueprint for the National Offender Management Service.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department who the members of the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs are; and what the professional qualifications of each are.

Caroline Flint: A full list of members of the Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, and their professions, is set out in the following table. However, it is very important to note that the members are appointed on an individual basis, and not as representatives of the organisations for which they work. The professional information supplied is for information only. All members are unpaid, although expenses are reimbursed.
	
		
			 Member Profession 
		
		
			 Professor Sir Michael Rawlins Professor of Pharmacology, University of Newcastle 
			 Dr. Dima Abdulrahim Briefing's Manager, National Treatment Agency 
			 Lord Victor Adebowale Chief Executive, Turning Point 
			 Mr. Martin Barnes(24) Chief Executive, Drugscope 
			 Dr. Margaret Birtwistle Specialist GP, Senior TutorEducation and Training Unit, St. George's Hospital and Forensic Medical Examiner 
			 Reverend Martin Blakebrough Director, Kaleidoscope Drugs Project, Kingston upon Thames 
			 Dr. Cecilia Bottomley DoctorSpecialist Registrar in Obstetrics and Gynaecology 
			 Ms Carmel Clancy Principal Lecturer (Mental Health and Addictions), Middlesex University 
			 Professor Liana Crome Professor of Addiction Psychiatry, Keele University Medical Schools, Harplands Hospital 
			 Ms Robyn Doran Registered Mental Health Nurse and Service Director Substance Misuse CNWL Mental Health Trust 
			 Ms Dianne Draper(24) Public Health Policy Support Officer, Government Office for Yorkshire and Humberside 
			 Mr. Robert Eschle School Teacher and Magistrate 
			 Professor Hugh Edmondson Consultant Maxillo Facial Surgeon, Emeritus Professor 
			 Ms Vivienne Evans Chief Executive, ADFAM 
			 Professor C Robin Ganellin FRS Emeritus Professor of Medicinal Chemistry 
			 Dr. Clare Gerada(24) GP, London Practice and Primary Care lead for Drug Misuse and Chair at the Royal College of GPs. 
			 Dr. Laurence Gruer(25) Public Health Services for NHS Scotland 
			 Mr. Paul Hayes Chief Executive, National Treatment Agency 
			 Mr. Andrew Hayman ACPO 
			 Mr. Russell Hayton Clinical Nurse Specialist and Clinical and Services Governance Manager, Plymouth Drug and Alcohol Action Team 
			 Ms Caroline Healy(24) Health Adviser to Sure Start, London 
			 Dr. Matthew Hickman(24) Deputy Director, Centre for Research on Drugs and Health Behaviour, Senior Lecturer in Public Health 
			 Mr. Alan Hunter DirectorLaw Regulatory and Intellectual Property and Secretary to the Association of British Pharmaceutical 
			 Professor Leslie Iversen(24) Professor of Pharmacology, University of Oxford 
			 His Honour Judge Thomas Joseph Resident Judge, Croyden Crown Council 
			 Dr. John Marsden Research Psychologist, Institute of Psychiatry 
			 Mr. Peter Martin Chief Executive, Addaction 
			 Professor David Nutt Director of Psychopharmacology Unit, University of Bristol 
			 Dr. Richard Pates Consultant Clinical Psychologist and Clinical Director Community Addiction Unit, Cardiff. 
			 Mr. Trevor Pearce Acting Director General, National Crime Squad 
			 Mrs. Kay Roberts Coordinator Greater Glasgow Pharmacy Needle Exchange Scheme, Lead Pharmacist -Royal College of General Practitioners, National Drug Misuse Training Programme 
			 Dr. Roy Robertson(25) General Medical Practitioner, Edinburgh 
			 Dr. Mary Rowlands Consultant Psychiatrist in Substance Misuse 
			 Dr. Polly Taylor Veterinary Surgeon 
			 Ms Monique Tomlinson Freelance Consultant 
			 Mr. Arthur Wing(24) Assistant Chief Officer, Sussex Probation Area 
		
	
	(24)New member
	(25)Member whose appointment runs only to 31 December 2005

Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how members of the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs are appointed.

Caroline Flint: The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is a statutory and non-executive non-departmental public body, established by the Misuse of Drugs Act (MDA) 1971.
	Members of the ACMD, of whom there should be not less than 20, are appointed by the Secretary of State for a term of three years and in accordance with the guidance issued by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Nominations come from a wide range ofsources including relevant professional bodies, PublicAppointments Unit of the Cabinet Office and self-nomination. Under the terms of the MDA 1971 the ACMD is required to include representatives of the practices of medicine, dentistry, veterinary medicine and pharmacy, the pharmaceutical industry, and chemistry (other than pharmaceutical chemistry); and members who have a wide and relevant experience of social problems connected with the misuse of drugs.
	Professor Sir Michael Rawlins was first appointed to the chair of the ACMD in October 1998 for a period of four years. His tenure was extended to a second term, which is due to expire in December 2005. Sir Michael is an effective and respected chairman. He is a Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at the University of Newcastle and chair of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE).
	Membership currently stands at 36, including the Chair. The ACMD has recently undergone a membership appointments process and the current term of office for members began on 1 January 2005. It will expire on 31 December 2007.

Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will increase the number of scientific specialists on the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs.

Caroline Flint: The Home Secretary may only appoint additional members to the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMDas a Non-Departmental Public Body) subject to the normal membership recruitment process, approved and monitored by the Office of the Commissioner for Public Appointments.
	I am content that the range of professions, and levels of expertise on the ACMD is suitable.
	Where the ACMD requires additional information, or would value further opinions, it has the authority to, and frequently does, invite expert witnesses to present to its meetings, and contribute to its understanding of an issue. If it feels that such input would be valuable in the longer term, it may co-opt additional members to its sub-committees or working groups.

Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make provision for independent testing of the validity of the review process used by the Advisory Committee on the Misuse of Drugs.

Caroline Flint: The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) is an independent body whose members are experts or leading practitioners in their field.
	We have no intention to make provision for independent testing of the validity of the review process of the ACMD because we believe in the integrity of the council and its individual members, and are confident that the advice we receive from them is of the highest quality.

Airsoft BB Guns

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ban the use of airsoft BB guns.

Caroline Flint: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Alcohol-related Crime

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 10 January 2005, Official Report, column 266W, on alcohol-related crime, if he will break down the number of defendants by region; what assessment he has made of the reasons for the increase in the number of defendants selling intoxicating liquor to persons under 18 between 2002 and 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Anitisocial Behaviour

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures his Department is introducing to divert youngsters from antisocial behaviour.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Anti-Semitism

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action his Department has taken sincepublication of the Community Security Trust Anti-Semitic Incidents Report 2004 to combat anti-Semitism.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Anti-Semitism

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of levels of anti-Semitism.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Antisocial Behaviour

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on (a) the effectiveness of his Department's policies to combat antisocial behaviour in Lancashire and (b) the Report telephone helpline.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Antisocial Behaviour

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to respond to the petition that was presented to him on his recent visit to Thirsk regarding local concerns over antisocial behaviour.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Antisocial Behaviour

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the anti-social behaviour orders that have been breached were given to people under 18 years of age.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 21 March 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Anti-terrorism Legislation

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were detained under anti-terrorism legislation in each year since 1975; how many were (a) UK and (a) non-UK citizens; how many of those detained were subsequently charged with (i) terrorist and (ii) other criminal offences; and how many were deported.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Anti-terrorism Legislation

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how frequently the Secretary of State or responsible Ministers have personally reviewed the certification of individuals detained under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001; and on what date the case of C was last considered by the Secretary of State.

Charles Clarke: The individual cases of those certified under the Anti-Terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001, Part 4 powers were kept under regular review and I was kept fully informed of any developments in the individual cases.
	My last consideration of C's case was on 31 January, when following a meeting with the Security Service, I decided that his certificate should be revoked.
	In the case of C I revoked the certificate because there was a change in circumstance that related to his specific case. At the time of his certification under the Anti-Terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001 (ATCSA) in December 2001, he was a leading UK member of the proscribed Egyptian terrorist group, the Egyptian Islamic Jihad (ElJ). Prior to his detention, C was active on behalf of the EIJ in Egypt, Ireland and the UK. C had an extensive network of associates among international terrorists in the UK and overseas. His contacts included prominent international terrorists from a range of organisations. However, although a number of C's associates remain at liberty, many have now been detained and/or their extremist activities have been disrupted. This has lessened the potential for C to re-engage in his previous activities to a degree that I believed it was no longer appropriate to maintain the certificate.

Anti-terrorism Legislation

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date he, or officials in his Department, started to review the case of prisoner C, then being held in Woodhill Prison; what new information led him to decide to release prisoner C; and on what dates reviews of the cases of other prisoners being detained under anti-terrorist legislation in Belmarsh Prison, began.

Charles Clarke: The individual cases of those certified under the Anti-terrorism Crime and Security Act 2001, Part 4 powers were kept under regular review and I was kept fully informed of any developments in the individual cases.
	My last consideration of C's case was on 31 January, when following a meeting with the Security Service, I decided that his certificate should be revoked.
	In the case of C I revoked the certificate because there was a change in circumstances that related to his specific case.

Assaults on Police Officers

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in each police force in England and Wales were assaulted in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum and Immigration

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers whose applications for asylum in the UK had failed were convicted of a criminal offence in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) offence and (b) country of origin.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 4 April 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum and Immigration

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals residing illegally in the UK have been charged with criminal offences in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) category of offence and (b) country of origin.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 4 April 2005
	This information is not recorded centrally.

Asylum and Immigration

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the finding by the Prisons Ombudsman that an official in the Immigration and Nationality Directorate considered that reasoned debate on the target of 30,000 removals of failed asylum seekers in 200102 was forbidden.

Des Browne: In 1996, the Government of the day introduced a new civil service code which set out the framework in which civil servants work.
	Staff may raise matters of concern if they feel they are being asked to act or abstain from acting which raises a fundamental issue of conscience. This should be raised with a senior officer. There is also provision for staff to raise matters of conscience within the Home Office with a nominated officer who is outside their usual management line.

Asylum and Immigration

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been refused benefit payments and housing support from the National Asylum Support Service in (a) Leicester and (b) Leicester, South in each year since 2002.

Des Browne: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Badgers

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) maximum, (b) minimum and (c) average sentences given to individuals convicted of offences involving the baiting and mistreatment of badgers was in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Badgers

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were convicted of offences involving the baiting or mistreatment of badgers in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Births (Public Funds)

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of babies born to mothers without recourse to public funds in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Border Guard Dogs

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dogs are used for the purposes of securing the UK's borders.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

BREAM

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREAM) certificate will be awarded to the new Home Office buildings in 2 Marsham Street; and what the assessment of the new building was against each indicator of the BREAM ranking.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Burial and Cemeteries Working Group

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to (a) publish the responses and (b) respond to the consultation on the burial and cemeteries working group; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Cannabis

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact reclassification of cannabis has had on (a) England and Wales and (b) the Ribble Valley.

Caroline Flint: Government figures on prevalence of cannabis use available for any period since reclassification come primarily from the British Crime Survey (BCS). The BCS for 200304 shows cannabis use for 16 to 59-year-olds who have taken the drug in the last 12 months to be at 10.8 per cent. The figure for 200203 was 10.9 per cent. In addition, the BCS figures show cannabis use declining steadily among 16 to 24-year-olds between 19982004 from 28.2 per cent. to 24.8 per cent.
	Cannabis was reclassified on 29 January 2004 to a Class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2004 contains the preliminary key findings of a survey of secondary schoolchildren aged 11 to 15. The figures show a decline in cannabis use in the last year from 13 per cent. in 2001 to 2003 to 11 per cent. for 2004.
	There are no centrally held figures on the impact of cannabis reclassification in the Ribble Valley.

Caravans

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what directions he has given to police forces regarding the checking of (a) transponders on suspected stolen caravans and (b) the Caravan Registration and Identification Scheme Vehicle Identification Number.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Caravans

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many caravans were stolen in (a) 2004, (b) 2003 and (c) 2002; and how many were subsequently recovered.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Change up Programme

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for projects the Department has received under the ChangeUp Programme; what the total value is of the projects so submitted; how many projects have been approved; how much and what percentage of the budget for the programme has been committed; and how much money has been disbursed.

Fiona Mactaggart: ChangeUp is a capacity building framework for the voluntary and community sector, launched in June 2004 after extensive consultation with the sector. It is underpinned by an 80 million initial investment programme by Government available until March 2006.
	The 80 million initial investment by Government have now been enhanced by an additional 70 million for the financial years 200607 and 200708.
	Initial activity has been slow due to the need to put in place sustainable sector led decision making mechanisms. Good progress is now being made on the delivery of the ChangeUp investment plan.
	Local and Regional Spend
	52.4million (65 per cent. of the total investment) has been allocated to local and regional activity to support voluntary and community sector infrastructure and capacity building. This money has been committed to the Government Offices for distribution.
	National Spend
	1.25million of national spend was committed through an early spend programme. This was heavily oversubscribed with 506 applications submitted in open bidding. Twenty two projects were successful with an additional five projects also commissioned. 1 million has been disbursed.
	24million of the main spend programme was allocated to national activity. 4.9 million of this money has been committed for/seven projects and 0.8 million has been disbursed.
	Overall Programme
	57.4 million (72 per cent. of the 80 million investment has been committed. The 200304 spend was 2.2 million and the 200405 spend to date is 6.9 million making a total spend of 9.1 million at the end of January 2005.

Community Support Officers

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  whether grant funding of community support officers will continue; and whether the costs of community support officers will be met from the police precept;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the role targeted grant funding through the neighbourhood policy fund plays in recruiting and retaining police community support officers in North Yorkshire.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Community Support Officers

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many of the 20,000 community support officers the Government proposes to recruit by 2008 are to be posted in Leicester; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Community-based Sentences

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many community-based sentences have been breached in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) type of sentence and (b) offence committed.

Paul Goggins: I have arranged for the available information, for the years 1997 to 2003, to be placed in the House Library.
	Statistics for 2004 will be published in the latter part of this year.

Consultants

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much expenditure his Department has incurred in each year since 2002 on employing external consultants to deal with the press and public relations of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Consultants

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total expenditure by his Department on external consultants was in (a) 199697 and (b) 200304, and what the estimated cost of external consultants will be in (i) 200405, (ii) 200506, (iii) 200607 and (iv) 200708.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Control Orders

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether individuals subject to control orders will be entitled to receive compensation for loss of livelihood.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Control Orders

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether accommodation will be provided for homeless individuals issued with a control order.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Control Orders

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the security agencies which advised the Government that control orders were necessary to control international terrorism, broken down by date on which the advice was given.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 22 March 2005
	I have had regular discussions with the Security Authorities and the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police on a range of security issues, including proposals for the revision of counter terrorism legislation in the light of the House of Lords judgment on 16 December.

Convention on Regional and National Minorities

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to prepare a report for the Council of Europe concerning (a) all aspects of the items raised and (b) the collective view of all other relevant Government Departments in respect of its framework convention on regional and national minorities.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 1 February 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Coroners

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the average time between death and inquest in the jurisdiction of the Coroner for Cleveland was in 2004; and what the average time between death and inquest was in other coroners' jurisdictions in (a) the north east and (b) England and Wales in that year.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 10 January 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Coroners' Courts

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to hold a review of the (a) operation and (b) scope of coroners' courts; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 4 April 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter dated 18 November 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr.Carl Walker.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton dated 14 December 2004 with regard to (i) Mr. S. Mohamed, (ii)Mr. S. U. Omar, (iii) Mrs. Faiza Saleh, (iv) Ms A. Khushi and (v) Dr. Roy;
	(2)  when he will reply to the letter dated 14 December 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mr. S. Mohamed;
	(3)  when he will reply to the letter dated 14 December 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. Faiza Saleh;
	(4)  when he will reply to the letter dated 14 December from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms A.A. Khushi;
	(5)  when he will reply to the letter dated 14 December 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms. A Khushi;
	(6)  when he will reply to the letter dated 14 December 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms. A. Khushi;
	(7)  when he will reply to the letter dated 14 December 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms. Anney Guha Roy;
	(8)  when he will reply to the letter dated 14 December 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Sakariya Mohamed.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  when he will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, dated (a) 10 November 2004 with regard to Ms Nabila Jahangir, (b) 9 December 2004 with regard to Mrs. Guy-Blackburn and (c) 6 December 2004 with regard to (i) Mr. Amos Bamba, (ii) Miss S. Rabbani and (iii)Alis Nicolae Bubric;
	(2)  when he will reply to the letter dated 19 October 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms Nabila Jahanbir;
	(3)  when he will reply to the letter dated 19 October 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Ms Nabila Jahangir;
	(4)  when he will reply to the letter dated 9 December 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to Mrs. Guy-Blackburn;
	(5)  when he will reply to the letter dated 9 December 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. Guy-Blackburn;
	(6)  when he will reply to the letter dated 6 December from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Alis Nicolae Bubric.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter dated 21 November 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Ms Yulima Vincente Vidal.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter dated 21 November 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Dr. A. R. Esta Bragh.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter dated 17 October 2004 from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, with regard to MsPauline Clear.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Clare Short: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to respond to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birmingham, Ladywood dated 14 December 2004 regarding the resourcing of the Connexions Service.

Charles Clarke: On 14 March my hon. Friend's letter was transferred to my right. hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Education and Skills (Ruth Kelly), who will be replying shortly.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter dated 20 January from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. Saira Ahmed.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter dated 19 January from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Juliet Kufvor.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter dated 20 January from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. K H Osman.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter dated 31 January from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr Abubeker M Zukrya.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter dated 10 February from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Malik Lalendra Fernando.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter dated 7 February from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Musonza.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes dated 2 December 2004 about his constituent, Mrs. Janet Wilce of Broadhempston, Totnes, which his Department acknowledged on 17 December 2004, ref: M19951/4.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes dated 15 December 2004 concerning his constituent, Mrs. Dee Baillie of Kingsbridge.

Des Browne: I replied to the hon. Member on 5 April 2005.

Correspondence

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Totnes dated 2 December 2004 about his constituent, Mrs. Janet Wilce of Broadhempston, ref: M19951/4.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letters from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to (a) Mr. M. Osman Mohammed, dated 14 February, (b) Mr. Robinc Banalas Moreno, dated 15 February, (c) Mrs. J Kavr, dated 16 February and (d) Mr. Malik Calendra Fernando, dated 10 February.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letters from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton dated (a) 7 February with regard to Mr. Jamal Mohammed Bin Omar Al Ridai, (b) 20 January with regard to Mr. K H Osman, (c) 19 January with regard to Ms Juliet Kufuon, (d) 2 February with regard to Mrs. Waheeda Ahmed and (e) 31 January with regard to Mr. Abubeker M Zukrya.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter of 17 February from the hon. Member for West Chelmsford, ref: P1114105, concerning Mr. C. D. Patel.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 4 April 2005
	I wrote to the hon. Member on 7 April 2005.

Correspondence

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to reply to the e-mail of 15 March from the hon. Member for Nottingham, North requesting an investigation into allegations made by the Chief Constable of Nottinghamshire.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 4 April 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter from the hon. Member for Walsall North of (a) 24 February concerning a constituent, ref /M5547/5 and (b) 9 November 2004 concerning a constituent, ref P393908, which received a holding reply on 16 February.

Des Browne: I replied to my hon. Friend on 7 April.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to answer the letters from the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton, with regard to (a) Mrs. J. Kaur, dated 16 February, (b) Mr. Malik Fernando, dated10 February, (c) Mrs. Guy Blackburn, dated 9 December 2004 and (d) Mr. I. Alkenani, dated27 January.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to answer the letters from the right hon. Member for Manchester Gorton, with regard to (a) Mr. M. Osman Mohammood, dated 14 February, (b) Mrs. Waheeda Ahmed, dated 2 February, (c) Mr. Al Ridaj, dated 2 February, (d) Ms Juliet Kvenor, dated 19 January, (e) Mr. K. H. Osman, dated 20 January, (f) Mr. Zukrya, dated 31 January and (g) Mr. Robinc Banagas Moreno, dated 15 February.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he intends to answer the letter dated 1 March 2005 from the right hon.Member for Manchester Gorton with regard to Mr. P Nyonga.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Credit/Debit Cards

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the impact of the changeover from signature to chip and PIN credit and debit cards and its effect on consumers; what discussions his Department has had with the banking and credit card industries on this matter; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effects on the (a) banking and (b) retail industries of the changeover from signature to chip and pin debit and credit cards.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 4 April 2005
	Chip and PIN is a major finance and retail industry anti fraud initiative. The introduction of chip and PIN has been managed by the chip and PIN Programme Management Organisation, and actively supported by Government.
	Following a successful public trial, national roll out of the scheme began in October 2003 with the aim that by 2005 a majority of plastic card transactions should be chip and PIN. The chip and PIN programme announced earlier this year that it reached all its 2004 targets for the roll out with customer research demonstrating that 71 per cent. of cardholders expect their next transaction to be chip and PIN and 45 per cent. now using it for all or most of their card payments. 1
	I last met with representatives from the programme in November 2003 and Home Office officials maintain regular contact with the finance and retail industry.
	It is currently too early to assess the effects of chip and PIN in preventing credit card fraud. The impact of chip and PIN on card fraud is expected to be seen early in 2005 and hence will first be reflected in the APACS mid-year card fraud figures to June 2005, which will be available in the summer.
	1 Source: chip and PIN programme

Crime

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of reported crimes in Leicester, South were classified as (a) violent crimes and (b) distraction burglaries in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Crime

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the levels of (a) domestic violence, (b) violent crime, (c) vehicle thefts, (d) burglary and (e) overall crime in (i) the Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (iii) the North East and (iv) the UK were in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Crime

Roger Casale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the percentage change in (a) overall recorded crime, (b) recorded violent crime, (c) burglaries and (d) vehicle thefts in Wimbledon has been since 1997.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time
	available before Prorogation.

Criminal Justice

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for which offences in the judicial system guilt is determined on the basis of reasonable grounds for suspicion.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Custody Sergeants

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact of the Serious and Organised Crime and Police Bill on the role of the custody sergeant.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Deaths Overseas

John Lyons: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action is taken following a verdict by a coroner in England and Wales of unlawful killing in respect of a death of a UK national overseas.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 7 March 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Budget

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the planned (a) capital and (b) resource budget for his Department is for 201112.

Fiona Mactaggart: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 4 April 2005, Official Report, column 117W by the Financial Secretary to the Treasury.

Departmental Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost has been of criminal damage to his Department's buildings in each of the last two years.

Fiona Mactaggart: Central records are not generally held. The estimated damage caused by the disturbance earlier this year at Harmondsworth removal centre is approximately 2.5 million. This is expected to be covered by the operator's insurance.
	Following indiscipline incidents causing damage the opportunity was taken to carry out upgrades to parts of Lincoln prison (2.6 million in 200203) and Wetherby prison (2.3 million mostly in 200405).

Departmental Costs

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the equipment leasing arrangements entered into by his Department in each of the last two years; and what the cost is to public funds in each case.

Fiona Mactaggart: Information held by the Home Office on equipment leasing arrangements entered into by the Department in each of the last two years is as follows:
	Home Office
	Commercial Directorate
	Hire of IT hardware
	Total expenditure paid in 2003046,394
	Agencies
	Her Majesty's Prison Service
	Items rented/leased by Prison Service HQs and establishments:
	Photocopiers, printers/duplicators, CCTV cameras, mailing systems, vehicles, vending machines, gym equipment, floor cleaning equipment, washing machines, water dispensers/coolers, hygiene products and disposals, waste compactors and industrial equipment for workshops.
	Total expenditure on the above paid in 2002031,203,544
	Total expenditure on the above paid in 2003041,396,920
	NDPBs
	Police Scientific Development Branch (PSDB)
	12 month lease of the Ancore, VEDS, large vehicle x-ray machine. Paid in four quarterly instalments, the last of which was in February 2003.
	Total expenditure on the above paid in 200203150,000
	CENTREX
	Lease of photocopiers.
	Total expenditure10,000 per annum
	Security Industry Authority (SIA)
	Lease of a franking machine
	Total expenditure1,486 per annum
	Lease of a tea and coffee machine
	Total expenditure1,323 per annum

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was paid to consultants carrying out staff surveys in the Department in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information required is not held in a central record or in the format requested.
	The information held by the Home Office on the amount paid to consultants carrying out staff surveys in each year since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
			 Unit Period (calendar/financial year) Amount paid to consultants carrying out staff surveys () 
		
		
			 Home Office   
			 Research, Development and 19992001 120,475 
			 Statistics (RDS) (26)200305 70,251 
			 Executive Agencies   
			 Forensic Science Service (FSS) 2000 12,619 
			  2001 10,175 
			  2003 16,050 
			  2004 8,490 
			
			 UK Passport Service (UKPS) 1999 22,150 
			  2001 22,250 
			  2003 40,179 
			
			 NDPBs   
			 National Criminal Intelligence Service (NCIS) (27)200405 1,195 
		
	
	(26)February
	(27)YTD

Departmental Costs

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Department spent on (a) stationery and (b) office supplies in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: The available information held by the Home Office on it's expenditure on stationery and office supplies in each year since 1997 is as follows:
	
		
		
			 Year Stationery Office supplies 
		
		
			 1997 n/a n/a 
			 1998 n/a n/a 
			 1999 415,000 n/a 
			 2000 496,000 5,763,344 
			 2001 406,000 6,604,000 
			 2002 532,000 8,114,969 
			 2003 461,000 9,377,737 
			 2004 375,000 9,860,845 
		
	
	n/a denotes not available
	Stationery figures include bulk paper purchased to print HMPS headed paper stationery, compliments slips, information booklets and leaflets used within HMPS internal industries, purchased from James McNaughton Ltd.
	Office Supplies includes all printer and copier paper and office supplies purchased by all Home Office departments using the Guilbert/Office Depot contract. From 2002, the figures include spend on computer consumables.

Departmental Expenditure

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Department spent on lawyers in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) number of actions, (b) number of settlements, (c) number of court cases and (d) the costs of each settlement.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Deportation

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were subject to deportation orders in each year since 1997, broken down by country of origin.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 4 April 2005
	Information on the total number of deportation orders made between 1997 and 2000 is shown in table 1. From 2001 this information is not available. Deportations are a specific subset of removals alongside persons subject to administrative removal or removal due to illegal entry action.
	
		Table 1: Deportation orders made
		
			  Deportation orders made(28) 
		
		
			 1997 1,220 
			 1998 1,020 
			 1999 660 
			 2000 760 
		
	
	(28)Data rounded to the nearest 5.
	A breakdown of those subject to deportation orders by country of origin is also not available; however table 2 shows a broad-nationality breakdown of persons removed as a result of deportation action from 1997 to 1999. Data from 2000 onwards are unavailable due to data quality issues.
	
		Table 2: Persons removed from the United Kingdom as a result of deportation action(29)(5507650030)by nationality, 199799 -- United Kingdom
		
			  1997 1998(31) 1999(31) 
		
		
			 Europe (including EEA) 350 355 355 
			 Americas 290 295 335 
			 Africa 510 420 290 
			 Indian Sub-continent 240 185 130 
			 Other Asia 130 90 80 
			 Oceania 20 10 10 
			 Other nationalities * 5 5 
			 All nationalities 1.550 1,360 1,210 
		
	
	(29)Figures for years prior to 1999 exclude persons known to have departed voluntarily after enforcement action had been initiated against them.
	(30)Figures rounded to the nearest 5, where * = 5 or fewer.
	(31)Nationality breakdowns are estimates.
	Information on the number of people deported from the UK in 2004 will be available from August on the Home Office's Research Development and Statistics website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Deportation

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of people subject to deportation orders in each year since 1997 were successfully deported by the authorities.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 4 April 2005
	Information on the proportion of people subject to deportation orders who were successfully deported is not available, as persons who received deportation orders in a period are not necessarily deported in the same period. Data on the number of persons removed from the United Kingdom as a result of deportation action are shown in table 1.
	Deportations are a specific subset of removals alongside persons subject to administrative removal or removal due to illegal entry action.
	
		Table 1: Persons removed from the United Kingdom as a result of deportation action, 1997 to 2003 -- United Kingdom
		
			  1997 1998 1999(32) 2000(32) 2001(33) 2002(33) 2003(34) 
		
		
			 Persons removed(35)(36) 2,070 1,730 1,210 1,280 450 415  
			 Of whom:
			 Principal asylum applicants(37) 460 350 140 145 85 100  
			 Of whom:
			 Non-asylum cases 1,620 1,380 1,075 1,140 365 315  
		
	
	(32)Deportation figures may be under-recorded in 1999 and 2000.
	(33)Figures for 2001 and 2002 have been estimated.
	(34)Data were not of sufficient quality for publication in 2003, however it is estimated that 480 persons were removed as a result of deportation action in this year. Due to poor data quality this is not an official statistic.
	(35)Figures rounded to the nearest 5.
	(36)Including persons known to have departed voluntarily after enforcement action had been initiated against them.
	(37)Persons who had sought asylum at some stage. Excludes dependents of asylum seekers.
	Information on the number of people deported from the UK in 2004 will be available from August on the Home Office's Research Development and Statistics web site at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html

Dip Sampling Process

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what further safeguards have been built into the dip sampling process since 2003;
	(2)  how compliance with the The Investigation of Historic/Institutional Child Abuse: The SIO handbook is assessed;
	(3)  what role the Inter-agency Strategic Management Group has in historic sex abuse operations;
	(4)  if he will make a statement on the use of the Gudjonsson Suggestibility Scales in historic sex abuse investigations;
	(5)  what discussions his Department has had with the Association of Chief Police Officers regarding the documentation and written recording of police interviews with complainants and other significant witnesses in historical sex abuse cases; and what the outcome was of those discussions;
	(6)  what research he has conducted into (a) SCAN and (b) other techniques for assessing the validity of statements for use in historical sex abuse cases;
	(7)  if he will make a statement on the advice provided by the Association of Chief Police Officers Investigative Interviewing Group to police forces on statement validity analysis techniques for use in historical sex abuse investigations;
	(8)  what changes have been made to the guidelines for investigations into historical sex abuse, to take account of the establishment of the National Centre for Policing Excellence.

Hazel Blears: The Government's Response to the Home Affairs Committee's Report published in April 2003 indicated that the Senior Investigations Handbook already included guidance that the Senior Investigating Officer in any individual case should always record, as a matter of routine, justification for using the dip sampling or investigation method for making initial approaches to former residents of care homes. This serves as a guide and is not mandatory therefore neither the Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) nor Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC) would make a routine assessment as to compliance therein.
	The Association of Chief Police Officers has established a multi-agency working group to review the SIO Handbook which was produced in 2002, the group includes officials form the Home Office. That review group has cognisance of all recommendations made by the Committee and in particular on-going concerns raised by my hon. Friend and will ensure amendments in line with police investigative policy. This will include adding further safeguards to the initial approach for evidence as considered by the group similarly for recordkeeping. I understand that the Chair of that group has now invited my hon. Friend to present her concerns to the group in person.
	It is not clear to which Inter-agency strategic management group my hon. Friend refers.
	The Home Department is not aware of the Gudjohnsson, SCAN or any other statement validity assessment tools for use in cases involving historical child abuse. The work of the ACPO SIO Manual review group is still in progress: it has not issued any guidance on the use of such tools in investigating complex cases of historical child abuse.

Detention Centres

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places there were in each detention centre in each year since 1997; and what occupation rates were in each centre.

Des Browne: The number of spaces and occupancy rates, where applicable, on 31 December each year since 1997 for each removal centre are as follows:
	
		
			 Removal centre Spaces Detained 
		
		
			 Campsfield House   
			 1998 (38) (38) 
			 1999 184 182 
			 2000 184 176 
			 2001 184 166 
			 2002 184 158 
			 2003 184 120 
			 2004 184 130 
			
			 Colnbrook   
			 2004 296 220 
			
			 Dover   
			 2002 216 194 
			 2003 316 307 
			 2004 316 197 
			
			 Dungavel   
			 2001 148 30 
			 2002 148 65 
			 2003 148 84 
			 2004 192 82 
			
			 Harmondsworth   
			 2001 550 201 
			 2002 550 206 
			 2003 335 306 
			 2004 501 408 
			
			 Haslar   
			 1997 160 123 
			 1998 160 111 
			 1999 160 159 
			 2000 160 120 
			 2001 160 141 
			 2002 160 122 
			 2003 160 133 
			 2004 160 122 
			  
			 Lindholme   
			 2000 112 111 
			 2001 112 99 
			 2002 112 95 
			 2003 112 95 
			 2004 112 88 
			
			 Oakington   
			 2000 360 270 
			 2001 360 256 
			 2002 360 49 
			 2003 360 165 
			 2004 360 192 
			
			 Tinsley House   
			 19962000 (39) (39) 
			 2001 146 143 
			 2002 146 87 
			 2003 146 110 
			 2004 146 113 
			
			 Yarl's Wood   
			 2001 (40) (40) 
			 2002 (41) (41) 
			 2003 60 57 
			 2004 120 112 
		
	
	(38)No longer held.
	(39)Currently unavailable.
	(40)Not available due to fire in February 2002.
	(41)Not availablecentre closed.

Disability and Race Discrimination

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what representations he has received concerning non-compliance with the disability and race discrimination legislation;
	(2)  what incentives there are for local authorities to enforce the disability and race discrimination legislation.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Disaster Victim Identification

Robert Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures he has established for disaster victim identification in the event of a major incident in the UK.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Domestic Violence

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ask the joint Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary team which produced the report Violence in the Home to re-inspect the police and CPS teams which were criticised to ensure that they have implemented the recommendations.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Domestic Violence

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many incidents of domestic violence have been reported to the Metropolitan police in each of the last three years.

Hazel Blears: The number of domestic violence incidents reported to the Metropolitan Police Service in each of the last three years are set out in the table:
	
		
			  Number of reported domestic violence incidents 
		
		
			 200102 90,974 
			 200203 104,000 
			 200304 106,879 
		
	
	The rise in figures from 200102 to 200203 is attributable to the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. This system changed the way in which police record crime with the aim of promoting greater consistency between force recording. This had the effect of increasing the amount of crime recorded.

Drink Driving

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of occasions on which drivers drove while above the legal alcohol limit in (a) 1979, (b) 1997 and (c) the most recent year for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Drinking Banning Orders

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the proposed drinking banning orders will be used and enforced.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Driving Offences

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date (a) he and (b) each Minister in his Department first saw a copy of the published version of the Review of Road Traffic Offences involving Bad Driving.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 8 February 2005
	Copies of the final version of the consultation paper were delivered to the Department at 8 am on Thursday 3 February and distributed to Ministers thereafter.

Driving Offences

David Wilshire: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what date copy for the document on Road Traffic Offences involving Bad Driving was delivered to the printers; and on what date finished copies of the document were received from the printers.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 8 February 2005
	The final version of the consultation report on the Review of Road Traffic Offences involving Bad Driving was sent to the printers on Tuesday 1 February. Finished copies of the paper were received by the Department at 8 am on Thursday 3 February.

Drugs

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) men and (b) women have been charged with drug offences in magistrates courts within the Greater London area in each of the last three years.

Caroline Flint: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Drugs

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the levels of drug-related crime in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) the UK were in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Drugs

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of reported drug overdose deaths.

Caroline Flint: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Drugs

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment his Department has made of the consequences of prolonged cannabis use.

Caroline Flint: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Drugs

Ashok Kumar: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research has been conducted on the dangers of crystal meth.

Caroline Flint: I refer my hon. Friend to my reply of 14 March 2005, Official Report, column 42W.

Drugs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of inmates in prisons inEngland and Wales were serving sentences for drug-related convictions in each year since 1975; and what the cost was of accommodating the inmates.

Paul Goggins: The population in prison establishments in England and Wales under an immediate custodial sentence for drug offences as a percentage of the total population under an immediate custodial sentence, in each year since 1976, is provided in the table. Information is not available for 1975.
	The Prison Service does not collect data relating to the costs of keeping prisoners in custody by offence type, nor does it retain information readily to hand on costs as far back as 1975. However the overall cost per prisoner for 200304 was 25,718 in public sector prisons and 25,377 in contracted out prisons.
	These figures exclude headquarters overheads, including the cost of capital on all Prison Service land and buildings plus the cost of depreciation on buildings.
	Information for Scotland and Northern Ireland would be a matter for my colleagues at the Scottish Executive and Northern Ireland Office.
	
		Population in prison establishments under an immediate custodial sentence England and Wales, 30 June
		
			  Population under immediate custodial sentence Population under immediate custodial sentence for drug offences Percentage of population under immediate custodial sentence who are drug offenders 
		
		
			 1976(42) 36,275 846 2.3 
			 1977(42) 35,815 863 2.4 
			 1978(42) 35,688 827 2.3 
			 1979 34,937 768 2.2 
			 1980 35,844 813 2.3 
			 1981 35,751 854 2.4 
			 1982 35,091 995 2.8 
			 1983 34,538 1,181 3.4 
			 1984 34,704 1,631 4.7 
			 1985 36,781 2,343 6.4 
			 1986 35,939 2,825 7.9 
			 1987 38,677 3,456 8.9 
			 1988 37,972 3,207 8.4 
			 1989 37,529 3,213 8.6 
			 1990 34,754 3,147 9.1 
			 1991 34,705 2,856 8.2 
			 1992 35,182 3,158 9.0 
			 1993 32,500 3,208 9.9 
			 1994 35,226 3,512 10.0 
			 1995 38,863 4,256 11.0 
			 1996 42,914 5,755 13.4 
			 1997 48,674 7,174 14.7 
			 1998 52,159 7,893 15.1 
			 1999 51,293 8,169 15.9 
			 2000 53,093 8,473 16.0 
			 2001 54,169 9,148 16.9 
			 2002 57,272 10,067 17.6 
			 2003 59,393 10,330 17.4 
			 2004 60,924 10,486 17.2 
		
	
	(42)Figures for 19761978 include fine defaulters

Drugs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate has been made of the cost of provision of x-ray scanning and ultrasound equipment to be used on persons arrested under suspicion of possessing Class A substances, as set out in the Drugs Bill.

Caroline Flint: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Drugs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the most recent estimate his Department has made of the cost of the illegal drugs trade to the UK economy in a year.

Caroline Flint: Estimates of the costs of the illegal drugs trade are not available. However, a recent study published by the Home Office provides estimates of the total economic and social costs of Class A drug use in England and Wales and puts these in the range of 10.1 to 17.4 billion for the year 2000. Total economic costs, or reactive expenditure, is estimated to fall within a range of 2.9 billion to 5.3 billion in 2000.
	Note:
	The full report The Economic and Social Costs of Class A Drug Use in England and Wales, 2000 is available in the Library or from the RDS website at the following address: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/pdfs/hors249.pdf

Drugs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many drug-related offences occurred in England and Wales in each of the past 10 years; and how many of these crimes were classified as (a) trafficking or dealing and (b) possession.

Hazel Blears: There are no figures available specifically on drug-related crime. The available information relates to recorded offences of trafficking and possession in England and Wales and is published in Table 2.04 of Crime in England and Wales 2003/04, Home Office Statistical Bulletin 10/04. A copy of this publication is available in the Library and it is also on the Home Office website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/crimeew0304.html.
	Information for Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the respective Secretaries of State.

Drugs

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate his Department has made of the number of people regularly using (a) heroin, (b) cocaine, (c) cannabis and (d) alcohol in England and Wales in each of the last 10 years; and how many of the regular users of each of these are regarded as addicts.

Caroline Flint: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Drugs

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how levels of cannabis use have changed since the declassification of the drug to class C; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: Government figures on prevalence of cannabis use available for any period since reclassification come primarily from the British Crime Survey (BCS). The BCS for 200304 shows cannabis use for 16 to 59-year-olds who have taken the drug in the last 12 months to be at 10.8 per cent. The figure for 200203 was 10.9 per cent. In addition, the BCS figures show cannabis use declining steadily amongst 16 to 24-year-olds between 19982004 from 28.2 per cent. to 24.8 per cent.
	Cannabis was reclassified on 29 January 2004 to a class C drug under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. Smoking, drinking and drug use among young people in England in 2004 contains the preliminary key findings of a survey of secondary schoolchildren aged 11 to 15. The figures show a decline in cannabis use in the last year from 13 per cent. in 2001 to 2003 to 11 per cent. for 2004.

eBay

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department sold any surplus stock on the eBay auction website, in each year since 200001.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 9 March 2005
	The Home Office has not sold any surplus stock on the eBay auction website since 200001.
	All disposals of surplus stock in the Department should be undertaken by procurement staff and subject to procedures consistent with obtaining best value for money. Surplus stock should be sold as soon as possible and obtain the best possible prices where appropriate by public auction or tender.

Electronic Tagging

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many probationers were electronically tagged in (a) Southend, (b) Essex and (c) England and Wales in each year since tagging commenced; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Emergency Works (Scotland) Act

Richard Younger-Ross: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will discuss with Ministers in the Scottish Executive the effectiveness of the Emergency Works (Scotland) Act 2005 with a view to assessing the merits of introducing similar legislation in England and Wales.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 4 April 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Engagements

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list his official engagements over the last six months; who was present at each meeting; what the (a) date and (b) location was of each meeting; what issues were discussed; and what plans he has to establish a public register of such information.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Engagements

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list his official engagements between 1.40 pm and 8 pm on Wednesday 23 February.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times during the (a) Italian, (b) Irish and (c) Dutch presidency of the EU the Committee for the implementation of the community action programme on preventive measures to fight violence against children, young persons and women (Daphne) met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

European Arrest Warrant

Gisela Stuart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests have been made in the UK under the European arrest warrant.

Caroline Flint: The framework decision on European arrest warrant came into force in the UK on 1 January 2004. From its coming into force until the 31 March 2005, there have been 67 arrests in the UK under the European arrest warrant.

European Communities Projects

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the projects that have operated in the UK since 1997 under the communities funding line judicial co-operation between national judges, as re-advertised in Official Journal C13 volume 48 of 19 January.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

European Public Bodies

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the activity of Eurojust in the UK in the last 12 months; and if he will list its publications and newsletters published over that period.

Caroline Flint: Eurojust is the EU judicial cooperation unit located in the Hague, which facilitates coordination of investigations and prosecutions of serious cross border crime cases in the EU. The Government welcome both the success that Eurojust has had in meeting these core objectives and its significant role in the fight against organised crime.
	Eurojust comprises a college of 25 national members, (one from each member state). The national members elected their president who is the UK national member. In 2004 there was a significant increase in the involvement of the UK authorities with Eurojust. The UK team at Eurojust received 42 cases from UK authorities requesting assistance. The UK team received 68 files from other member states requesting assistance from UK authorities. Cases involved a range of offences including drug trafficking, illegal immigrant smuggling, money laundering and murder.
	The UK team has regular meetings in the United Kingdom with colleagues from Government Departments, investigating and prosecuting authorities. Casework co-ordination and co-operation meetings take place regularly at Eurojust's premises. Eurojust also provided oral evidence for the 2004 House of Lords inquiry into the work of Eurojust. A number of publications related to Eurojust are deposited in the United Kingdom Parliament including the 2003 Annual Report and the European Court of Auditors report on the Eurojust accounts for 2003. Eurojust publications, information and materials are available on the Eurojust website www.eurojust.eu.int .

Faith Communities

Michael Connarty: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what grants the Department has made to organisations linked to faith communities in each of the last three years; and for what purposes.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Firearm Offences

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded firearm offences there were (a) in Leicester and (b) in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 21 March 2005
	Information for Leicester is not collected centrally. The available statistics for England and Wales are published in Table 2.03 of Crime in England and Wales 200304: Supplementary Volume 1: Homicide and Gun Crime, Home Office Statistical Bulletin 02/05. A copy of this publication is available in the Library and also on the Home Office website at: http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/hosbpubs1.html.

Firearm Offences

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many injuries have been caused by (a) air rifles and (b) handguns in (i) Jarrow constituency, (ii) South Tyneside, (ii) the North East and (iv) England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The available information is given in the tables.
	Data collected centrally for recorded crime involving firearms in England and Wales is only available at police force level. Information for the Jarrow constituency and South Tyneside is therefore included in data for Northumbria police.
	Data for offences involving air rifles are incorporated within the figures for offences involving air weapons.
	
		Table 1: Number of injuries (excluding fatal) caused byair weapons, 1997200304 -- Number
		
			  Northumbria North east region England and Wales 
		
		
			 1997 34 59 1194 
			 199899 64 90 1514 
			 19992000 66 94 1977 
			 200001 69 101 1821 
			 200102 68 107 1915 
			 200203 53 84 2377 
			 200304 44 90 2395 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Number of injuries (excluding fatal) caused by handguns, 1997200304
		
			  Northumbria North east region England and Wales 
		
		
			 1997 0 4 314 
			 199899 4 6 236 
			 19992000 3 4 352 
			 200001 3 6 400 
			 200102 2 4 648 
			 200203 1 1 640 
			 200304 3 3 590 
		
	
	Notes:
	Firearms offences were published on a calendar year basis up to 1997, and on a financial year basis thereafter.
	There was a change in the counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998 and the National Crime Recording Standard was introduced nationally on 1 April 2002. Figures for some crime categories may have been inflated by these changes.

Firearm Offences

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people have been killed by a handgun in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) the North East and (d) England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: The available information is given in the table.
	Data collected centrally for recorded crime involving firearms in England and Wales is only available at police force level. Information for the Jarrow constituency and South Tyneside is therefore included in data for Northumbria police.
	
		Recorded offences of homicide where the weapon was a handgun -- Number
		
			  Northumbria North east region England and Wales 
		
		
			 1997 0 0 43 
			 199899 1 2 28 
			 19992000 0 0 42 
			 200001 1 1 48 
			 200102 0 0 59 
			 200203 0 0 40 
			 200304 0 0 35 
		
	
	Notes:
	Firearms offences were published on a calendar year basis up to 1997, and on a financial year basis thereafter.
	There was a change in the counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998 and the National Crime Recording Standard was introduced nationally on 1 April 2002. Figures for some crime categories may have been inflated by these changes.

Graffiti

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps his Department is taking to ensure that perpetrators of graffiti receive appropriate punishments; and how many people in Southend were prosecuted for graffiti in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Guantanamo Bay Detainees

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what basis the Royal Prerogative was used in the decision to refuse Martin Mubanga and Feroz Abbasi British passports.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Gun Control

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to restrict the availability of ammunition for guns to ensure that it is only used for permitted uses.

Caroline Flint: It is an offence for a person to possess, purchase or acquire any ammunition to which section 1 of the Firearms Act 1968 applies without holding a firearm certificate in force at the time, or otherwise than as authorised by such a certificate or in quantities in excess of those so authorised. It is also an offence for a person to fail to comply with the conditions subject to which the certificate is held.

Gun Control

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Government's policy is on gun control; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: We are determined to have a regulatory framework controlling the possession of firearms which is robust, preventing guns getting into the wrong hands and allowing legitimate shooters to pursue their sport without danger to public safety. We already have some of the toughest gun controls in the world and we are currently considering the large number of responses we received to the consultation paper we issued last year to ensure that the framework remains appropriate for modern circumstances.

Gun Crime

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) gun crimes and (b) arrests relating to gun crime there were in (i) England and (ii)each police force area in each year since 1997.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 24 March 2005
	The number of gun crimes recorded by police in England and Wales is shown in the table. The introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard nationally in April 2002 means that data for years before and after this date are not directly comparable. Information for Scotland and Northern Ireland are matters for the respective Secretaries of State.
	Statistics on the number of arrests relating to gun crime in England and Wales are not collected centrally.
	
		Firearms offences (excluding air weapons) by police force area, 1997 to 200304
		
			 Police force area 1997(43) 199798 199899(44) 19992000 200001 200102(45) 200203(46) 200304 
		
		
			 North East Region 
			 Cleveland 18 24 20 26 16 24 18 45 
			 Durham 17 22 13 40 18 19 16 15 
			 Northumbria 78 79 76 107 99 86 103 169 
			  
			 North West Region 
			 Cheshire 22 21 32 22 44 50 31 44 
			 Cumbria 8 6 11 5 13 9 13 11 
			 Greater Manchester 620 591 647 875 935 1,361 1,240 1,275 
			 Lancashire 71 67 50 78 59 103 66 58 
			 Merseyside 127 142 286 240 278 299 318 483 
			  
			 Yorkshire and the Humber Region 
			 Humberside 83 85 76 61 69 63 68 68 
			 North Yorkshire 28 22 11 8 9 28 18 23 
			 South Yorkshire 80 75 75 114 129 170 153 127 
			 West Yorkshire 162 156 193 191 335 332 333 269 
			  
			 East Midlands Region 
			 Derbyshire 69 62 52 65 72 58 73 75 
			 Leicestershire 48 51 98 71 58 74 174 141 
			 Lincolnshire 5 5 16 19 24 22 37 26 
			 Northamptonshire 40 46 54 48 40 55 107 123 
			 Nottinghamshire 120 132 112 173 157 204 264 233 
			  
			 West Midlands Region 
			 Staffordshire 36 26 23 53 108 116 131 108 
			 Warwickshire 20 22 20 14 39 53 62 102 
			 West Mercia 36 30 38 36 41 54 48 62 
			 West Midlands 428 432 407 664 816 1,289 1,101 1,138 
			  
			 East of England Region 
			 Bedfordshire 43 40 46 56 48 82 86 89 
			 Cambridgeshire 34 37 35 43 31 49 57 34 
			 Essex (47) 58 63 47 61 77 98 148 145 
			 Hertfordshire (47) 45 49 30 36 36 69 139 138 
			 Norfolk 20 22 34 24 20 26 36 33 
			 Suffolk 5 12 15 18 22 15 28 45 
			  
			 London Region 
			 City of London 2 1 1 4 5 5 3 3 
			 Metropolitan (47) 1,958 1,950 2,033 2,941 3,031 4,192 4,199 3,888 
			  
			 South East Region 
			 Hampshire 29 33 38 52 49 58 97 130 
			 Kent 100 113 76 109 108 60 64 65 
			 Surrey(47) 31 31 35 42 52 40 34 88 
			 Sussex 107 94 115 119 110 155 136 82 
			 Thames Valley 109 95 96 107 198 267 362 421 
			  
			 South West Region 
			 Avon and Somerset 55 65 71 103 100 131 119 123 
			 Devon and Cornwall 40 41 75 81 64 52 36 84 
			 Dorset 25 25 11 12 14 34 17 45 
			 Gloucestershire 23 24 22 21 23 89 92 108 
			 Wiltshire 19 17 19 10 13 26 60 53 
			  
			 Wales 
			 Dyfed Powys 13 13 16 13 26 26 17 37 
			 Gwent 19 19 26 19 11 18 52 74 
			 North Wales 19 25 27 10 6 6 18 11 
			 South Wales 34 38 31 52 67 56 74 47 
			 England 4,819 4,808 5,109 6,749 7,360 9,917 10,087 10,169 
			 Wales 85 95 100 94 110 106 161 169 
		
	
	(43)Information published for calendar years up to and including 1997 and financial years thereafter.
	(44)There was a change in the counting rules for recorded crime on 1 April 1998.
	(45)Numbers of some recorded crimes may have been inflated by some police forces implementing the principles of the National Crime Recording Standard before 1 April 2002.
	(46)The National Crime Recording Standard was introduced nationally on 1 April 2002. Figures for some crime categories may have been inflated by this.
	(47)Forces affected by boundary changes in April 2000.

High Risk Offenders

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to increase the percentage of very high and high risk offenders resident in (a) probation hostels and (b) voluntary sector hostels in England and Wales.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

HMP Belmarsh

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are detained under his instructions at HMP Belmarsh; for how long each has been detained; and when he expects each to be released.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

HMP/YOI Parc

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his response to the findings and concerns expressed in the Annual Report for March 2003 to February 2004 of the Independent Monitoring Group for HMP and YOI Parc published in August 2004.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many referrals of (a) immigration, (b) asylum and (c) naturalisation cases to the immigration and nationality directorate by hon. Members there have been in each year since 2001, broken down by constituency.

Des Browne: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Immigration and Nationality Directorate

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he next plans to visit the Immigration and Nationality Directorate in Croydon.

Des Browne: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Initiatives (Funding)

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what budget has been allocated to the Home Office Marketing and Strategic Communications Unit in each of the last two years; and how many staff have been employed by the Unit in each year.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Internet Controls

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers his Department has to limit the availability of anti-Semitic information on the internet.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 7 March 2005
	There are a number of incitement offences in law which provide protection against anti-Semitic material. In particular, this includes the incitement to racial hatred offence in the Public Order Act 1986 which makes it an offence to use threatening, abusive or insulting words or behaviour with intention or likelihood that hatred would be stirred up on the grounds of colour, race, nationality or ethnic or national origins.
	The legal position is that what is illegal off-line is illegal on-line, so provided that the elements of the offence are made out a prosecution for incitement to racial hatred could be taken for words or behaviour published on the internet.

Interpretation Services

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, in which languages interpretation services are offered by (a) qualified interpreters and (b) non-qualified interpreters on behalf of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate at East Midlands Airport.

Des Browne: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the budget is for the Joint Terrorism Analysis Centre in 200405; and whether he plans to increase the budget in future years.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Judicial System

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to reduce (a) costs and (b) waste in the justice system.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Justice and Home Affairs Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the outcome was of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held on 24 February 2004; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: I represented the United Kingdom at the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Brussels on 24 February 2005. Caroline Flint attended with me, along with Cathy Jamieson (Justice Minister) of the Scottish Executive.
	A list of A points adopted at the Council has been placed in the Library (Document 6588/05).
	The proposal for a council framework decision on combating racism and xenophobia was discussed. I intervened to say that there was no need for the decision specifically to include reference to racist symbols, as their use to incite racially motivated hatred and violence was already covered in the draft Framework Decision. The matter has been referred back to the Working Group, to be discussed again at the April JHA Council.
	On the proposal for a Council framework decision on the European Evidence Warrant for obtaining objects, documents and data for use in proceedings in criminal matters, the presidency sought agreement to the broad principles to be followed under the EEW in relation to dual criminality. In particular it was proposed that they should be similar to those pertaining to previous mutual recognition measures. This would include using a list of offences to which dual criminality would not apply based on the list in the European Evidence Warrant; excluding the idea of a sunset clause, which would eventually have abolished dual criminality for all requests; and included a seriousness threshold of three years for offences. Cathy Jamieson noted the UK's support for the presidency approach and its opposition to an additional proposal to define more clearly some of the offences on the list, stating that this was inconsistent with the principle of mutual recognition and that it would create obstacles to co-operation.
	Over lunch I discussed with other Ministers of the Interior the appointment of a Director for Europol. I intervened to say that the UK's position had always been that the best candidate should be selected through a fair and transparent selection process. We therefore supported the recommendation of the Europol Management Board that the German candidate, Herr Ratzel was the best candidate. The Council agreed to his selection and I noted that, for this and similar posts, it was essential that the best candidate was selected on merit, rather than nationality and that selection of individuals and sites of agencies should be considered separately. I said that, during the UK presidency, I would initiate discussion in the Council to agree an approach these issues in future.
	There was a policy debate on the follow up to the Commission reports on the member states' transposition of instruments adopted on the basis of title VI of the TEU. Caroline Flint stressed that it was not enough simply to look at how measures had been transposed at a national level but to look at whether they were making a positive impact for citizens in practice.
	The presidency also agreed to take forward consideration of the reports on the European Arrest Warrant and Joint Investigation Teams by the end of June in light of the discussion.
	The Presidency asked member states to agree that CEPOL be given community financing and should apply ED staff regulations. The UK was able to support this approach as the firststage in establishing CEPOL and the presidency confirmed that the Working Group take work forward on that basis.
	On the Commission Green Paper on Economic Migration a first exchange of views took place. Member states responded positively and the issue will be on the agenda again at the April JHA Council.
	The Mixed Committee took place in the afternoon and Caroline Flint represented the UK. The Council agreed the proposal (as in document 6483/05 VISA 43) as regards the reciprocity mechanism. Council conclusions were agreed in principle on the inclusion of biometric data in visas and residence permits. Experts will be asked to continue to examine the technical issues and return to the Council in April.
	The proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council concerning the Visa Information System (VIS) and the exchange of data between member states on short stay visas was tabled and draft Council Conclusions were circulated which received broad agreement. These will be passed to COREPER to be finalised.
	Under AOB the Commission presented its proposal for a regulation on local border traffic.
	Also tabled was a memorial report of the anniversary of the Madrid bombings presented by the Commission and dedicated to the victims of terrorism. The draft conclusions were adopted.

Kamal Bousbaci

Mark Lazarowicz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will make a decision in the case of Mr. Kamal Bousbaci, a constituent of the hon. Member for Edinburgh, North and Leith.

Des Browne: Mr. Bousbaci's case is being considered. Once the Immigration and Nationality Directorate has made a decision on his case, he will be notified in writing.

Kimberley Quinn

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he used his official phone line to contact Kimberley Quinn.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Kimberley Quinn

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has ever discussed Kimberley Quinn with the Foreign Secretary.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Knives

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the Government's plans to implement more severe sentences for knife crimes.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Lance Corporal Atkinson

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether details of the late Lance Corporal Atkinson who was court-martialled for false imprisonment appear on the police database.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time
	available before Prorogation.

Licensed Premises (Violent Offences)

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many violent offences committed in connection with licensed premises there were in each police area in each year from 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Licensing Act

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2005, Official Report, column 724W, on the Licensing Act, how many people in each (a) petty sessional division area and (b) police authority area have been (i) prosecuted and (ii) convicted under (A)section 172, (B) section 172A and (C) section 173 of the Licensing Act 1964 in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Litherland House

Joe Benton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 23 February 2005, Official Report, column 727W, to the hon. Member for Liverpool, Walton, (Mr. Kilfoyle) on Litherland House, how much has been spent on refurbishment costs for the first floor of Litherland House since his Department commenced its occupation.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Media Reporting

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of links between media reporting and fear of crime.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation

Metropolitan Police

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the rate of Metropolitan police officer abstractions was from each London borough for (a) counter-terrorism, (b) special operations and (c) public order event policing work in each of the last 12 months; what the average was for each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Metropolitan Police

Tony Colman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long candidates for the Metropolitan police waited before the commencement of training after selection in the last period for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Ministerial Engagements

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the ministerial engagements (a) out of London and (b) in London that he has cancelled since his appointment.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Ministerial Stationery

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on official ministerial (a) business cards, (b) headed paper and (c) compliment slips in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Ministerial Travel

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) names and (b) functions of non-Government employees who have accompanied him on (i) rail journeys, (ii) plane journeys and (iii)journeys in his ministerial car since 1997.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Minority Ethnic Prisoners

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government are taking to (a) address the disproportionate numbers of black and other minority ethnic people in prisons and (b) combat violence against black and other minority ethnic prisoners.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Mobile Phones

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of staff mobile phone bills was in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: The total cost of mobile phones for the Home Department since 1997 are given in the table:
	
		Mobile phone costs -- 
		
			  1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Mobile rental 273,901 261,085 376,336 456,282 552,292 568,494 624,916 
			 Mobile call charges 262,911 92,400 140246 295,034 367,598 815,456 920,699 
			 Total 538,809 355,483 518,581 753,316 921,891 1,385,952 1,547,618 
			 Percentage total expenditure 0.008 0.005 0.007 0.009 0.009 0.012 0.013

Mobile Phones (Tracking)

Oliver Letwin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he monitors the use by private individuals and companies of mobile phones to track the whereabouts of individuals.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

National Offender Management Service

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Regional Offender Manager job descriptions will be published.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

National Offender Management Service

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department by what methods he intends that the National Offender Management Service should contribute to a reduction in re-offending.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

National Offender Management Service

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what options other than the creation of the National Offender Management Service were assessed for the possible future structure of prison and probation services.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

National Offender Management Service

Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria will be used to assess whether the National Offender Management Service will provide value for money.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Northamptonshire Police

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the change in the performance of Northamptonshire police in detection of burglaries between March and October 2004;
	(2)  whether the detection rate of Northamptonshire police for burglaries in October 2004 was about 60 per cent. below the average for its group of police forces;
	(3)  whether the detection rate of Northamptonshire police for criminal damage in October 2004 was below the average for its group of police forces.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Northern Ireland Memorial Fund

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are applied by the Northern Ireland Memorial Fund when assessing applications from victims of the Troubles; how many applications the Northern Ireland Memorial Fund has received from these victims; and how many of these have failed to meet those criteria.

Des Browne: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Opinion Polls

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what issues his Department has conducted opinion polling in the last three years.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Home Office undertakes a wide range of research activities that support the development of information led policy, including surveys of public perception and focus groups of the public that consider Home Office issues and its related areas of responsibility.
	The Department conducts or commissions such work only when it is justified by the specific needs of a particular policy or programme and when this is the most economical, efficient and effective way to achieve the purpose. Consulting and involving the public helps inform both policy formulation and the delivery of better quality public services.
	Areas where opinion polls (as opposed to other forms of market and opinion research) have been conducted in the last three years are:
	Antisocial behaviour
	CCTV
	Community engagement
	Community penalties
	Forensic science services
	Identity/entitlement cards
	Impact of graffiti
	Passports
	Race equality
	Sentencing
	Victims
	Voluntary organisations
	Youth justice

Parliamentary Questions

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the delay in replying to the questions tabled by the hon. Member for Thurrock (a) references 203582 and 203583, tabled on 6 December, (b) reference 204996, tabled on 14 December and (c) reference 204071 and 204164, tabled on 7 December; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 10 January 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Parliamentary Questions

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer to the hon. Member for Worcester (Mr. Foster) of 23 February 2005, Official Report, column 747W, if he will estimate (a) the number of staff hours required to answer the question and (b) the total cost of answering it.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 4 March 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Parliamentary Questions

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to question reference 213124 from the hon. Member for St. Ives.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Parliamentary Questions

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to question reference (a) 213518 and (b) 213519 tabled on 31 January.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Passports

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fraudulent applications there have been for passports in each year since 1997.

Charles Clarke: Figures for the number of fraudulent passport applications detected by the UK Passport Service in each year since 1997 are shown in the table.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 1,880 
			 1998 1,368 
			 1999 1,596 
			 2000 1,484 
			 2001 2,419 
			 2002 1,973 
			 2003 1,571 
			 2004 1,880

Pay Television Subscriptions

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many pay television subscriptions the Department had in each year since 1997; and what the cost was in each year.

Fiona Mactaggart: The information is as follows:
	
		
			  Number of subscriptions Costs ex-VAT () 
		
		
			 200405 53 20,610 
			 200304 38 18,273 
			 200203 37 13,858 
			 200102 (48) 14,606 
			 200001 (48) (48) 
			 19992000 (48) 12,798 
			 199899 (48) 7,295 
			 199798 (48) (48) 
		
	
	(48)No record.
	These exclude the parliamentary channel and palace annunciator. These figures are for the old Home Office in 50 Queen Anne's Gate. Arrangements for 2 Marsham Street are still to be finalised.

Police

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on the (a) distribution to and (b) printing and compiling of documents for police officers in each year since 1997, broken down by document.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received, and from whom, for additions to the ring-fenced grants in the Bedfordshire Police Authority's budget for the years (a) 200203, (b) 200304 and (c) 200405; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 3 February 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Government ring-fenced grants were included in the budget of the Bedfordshire Police Authority in each year between 199697 and 200405.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 3 February 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what definition of a police officer the Government uses.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many serving police officers have been (a) arrested and (b) convicted of crimes in each year since 1997 in (i) England, (ii) Essex and (iii)Southend.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have taken early retirement in (a) Essex and (b) Southend in each of the last five years.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the extent of racist attitudes within the police service.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made towards reaching the target of 7 per cent. ethnic minority police officers by 2009; and what measures are (a) in place and (b) planned to reach the target.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in the Metropolitan police force hold (a) advanced police driving licences and (b) patrol car licences.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 24 March 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in the (a) Kent police force and (b) England hold (i) advanced police driving licences and (ii) patrol car licences.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 23 March 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many job vacancies there are in Essex police division; when he expects them to be filled; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the average age of police officers was in (a) Southend and (b) Essex in each year since 1997;
	(2)  what the average length of service of police officers was in each year since 1997 in (a) Southend and (b) Essex.

Hazel Blears: Information on the average age of police officers or the average length of service of police officers in Southend and Essex since 1997 has not been collected by the Home Office.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police working days were lost due to (a) sickness, (b) bereavement and (c) attending court hearings in Essex in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been employed in Hampshire in each of the past 10years.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason his Department is closing the Crime Reduction Unit at Hawkshill, Easingwold in the Vale of York; and what the reason is for the timing of the closure.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will introduce random drug tests for police officers.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers, (b) community support officers and (c) police support staff were employed in North Yorkshire on the latest date for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) the average cost in England and Wales of recruiting a police officer and (b) the average establishment cost of a police officer in post, including salary, benefits and overheads were in 200304.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 21 March 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours constitute a normal working week for police officers, broken down by rank.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Lindsay Hoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers have been available for duty in (a) Lancashire, (b) each police division in Lancashire and (c) each Lancashire constituency in each year for which records are available.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police Accidents

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accidents involving Kent police (a) pursuit and (b) patrol vehicles and drivers and members of the public resulting in serious injuries or death there were in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 24 march 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police Accidents

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accidents involving Metropolitan police (a) pursuit and (b) patrol vehicles and drivers and members of the public resulting in serious injuries or death there were in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 25 March 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police Accidents

Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accidents involving police (a) pursuit and (b) patrol cars and drivers and members of the public resulting in serious injuries or death there were in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 24 March 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police and Crime Statistics (Nottinghamshire)

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the trends in crime in (a) Nottinghamshire and (b) the City Division of Nottinghamshire police area since 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police Funding

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) the ring-fenced sources of funding his Department currently makes available to police forces in England and Wales and (b) the ring-fenced sources of funding his Department has made available to police forces in England and Wales since 1997.

Hazel Blears: Most grant to police authorities in England and Wales was made available to be spent at the discretion of individual authorities and chief officers.
	A range of specific grants have also been made available that have enabled us to target funds where they are particularly needed. The Crime Fighting Fund, for example, has enabled us to reach and maintain record police officer numbers of over 140,000 at the end of September 2004. Other major ring-fenced funds include:
	Neighbourhood Policing Fund
	Community Support Officer funding
	Special Priority Payments
	Airwave
	Street Crime Initiative
	Basic Command Unit Fund
	Premises Improvement Fund
	DNA Expansion Programme
	In addition to these, some forces will have received non-ring fenced grants such as the Rural Policing Fund and smaller grants to help with exceptionally incurred costs or to pilot new initiatives.
	A definitive list of all grants paid to police authorities in England and Wales since 199697 is not available and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Police Staff Council Handbook

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what representations he has received from the Association of Chief Police Officers regarding mandatory adoption of the Police Staff Council handbook;
	(2)  whether he plans to require police forces to adopt as standard the Police Staff Council handbook;
	(3)  how many police forces in England and Wales have adopted in full the pay and conditions set out in the Police Staff Council handbook.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 4 April 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police Stop Forms

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has commissioned into the administration of stop forms by police forces.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police Superintendents

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of police officers of superintendent rank in England and Wales with one or more staff officers attached to them in each of the last three years for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Police Training

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what training new police officers receive in (a) typing and (b) IT skills.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Pre-trial Procedures

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the aim is of the direct communication with victims initiative; and what effect he expects it will have on pre-trial procedures between prosecutors and witnesses.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Prevention of Terrorism (Control Orders)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals are subject to control orders.

Hazel Blears: 10 people are currently the subject of non-derogating control orders under the Prevention of Terrorism Act 2005.

Prevention of Terrorism (Control Orders)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are employed to run the helpline for individuals subject to control orders; what its hours of operation are; how many calls have been received; and what budget has been allocated to the running of the helpline.

Charles Clarke: The control order contact number is manned by a dedicated team of three staff who administer the Control Orders. It is manned during office hours Monday-Friday. Running costs are being met from existing budgets. Separate arrangements exist for emergency out of hours contact. In relation to the number of telephone calls received, it is not departmental policy to comment on the detailed operation of Control Orders.

Prevention of Terrorism (Control Orders)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what mechanisms are in place to ensure that individuals subject to control orders comply with the conditions of the order.

Charles Clarke: There are a range of measures in place to monitor compliance with the obligation imposed. Any suspected breach of the obligations will be investigated by the police.

Prevention of Terrorism (Control Orders)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are in place to inform local social services when a control order is imposed on an individual.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Prevention of Terrorism (Control Orders)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to provide financial assistance to cover household costs for individuals subject to control orders which prevent them from working; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: The Government stated within the House of Lords Committee stages of this Act that nothing within this legislation will alter the entitlement for a person in this country to receive benefits.
	Control Orders are designed to address the threat posed by an individual's terrorist related activity, not to prevent individuals from gaining access to everyday living expenses.
	If a control order imposed restrictions on an individual's ability to work then appropriate arrangements would be made for that individual to receive the state benefits to which s/he is legally entitled.

Prevention of Terrorism (Control Orders)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what arrangements are in place to provide assistance to individuals subject to control orders preventing them from visiting shops; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: As was made clear within parliamentary debates surrounding this Act arrangements are and will continue to be put in place to meet the specific requirements of individual control order cases.
	When deciding on the obligations to be placed on the individual proper consideration is given to ensuring that the individual has access to essential services and facilities, while restricting that individuals ability to engage in terrorism related activity.

Prevention of Terrorism (Control Orders)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which contractors are providing electronic tagging services for the purposes of control orders.

Hazel Blears: There are two contractors, Premier Monitoring and Group4Securicor, that have five year contracts to provide electronic tagging services. The tagging services for the existing control orders are provided by Premier Monitoring.

Prevention of Terrorism (Control Orders)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps will be taken to inform police and probation officers responsible for local multi-agency public protection arrangements when a control order is imposed on an individual in that area.

Hazel Blears: A multi-agency approach has been adopted both before and after a control order is made. The police are fully involved in this process. Probation officers would be involved where appropriate, for example, if the subject of the order was on probation.

Prevention of Terrorism Bill

Simon Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the legal advice he has received regarding derogation from Article 5 of the European Charter of Human Rights for provisions under the Prevention of Terrorism Bill.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 28 February 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Prevention of Terrorism Bill

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role he expects the Scottish courts to play in the judicial oversight of the powers to be granted to him under the Prevention of Terrorism Bill.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 28 February 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Prison/Probation Services (Competition)

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has evaluated on whether competition in (a) probation and (b) prison services drives up quality.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisoners (Foreign Nationals)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many foreign nationals living in the United Kingdom have been sentenced to prison for criminal offences and been recommended for deportation in each of the last five years; and how many have been deported on the completion of their prison sentence.

Des Browne: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons were for the release of prisoner C from Woodhill prison.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prison places have been (a) opened and (b) closed (i) temporarily and (ii)permanently in each year since 1997, broken down by prison.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost of holding the detainees in HMP Belmarsh has been to date.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 17 March 2005
	The cost of keeping a Category A prisoner at a high security prison such as HMP Belmarsh is approximately 40,000 per annum. Taking account of time served on criminal charges, etc. we estimate that detention has cost approximately 1,300,000.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the costs of keeping the Belmarsh detainees under supervision following release on conditional bail.

Charles Clarke: holding answer 17 March 2005
	The Home Office has prepared a Regulatory Impact Assessment in relation to the Prevention of Terrorism Act. Paragraphs 42 to 51 set out the estimated public sector costs. The regulatory Impact Assessment can be found at: www.homeoffice.gov.uk/inside/legis/rias/rias.html#2005

Prisons

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list for each prison and young offenders institution (a) the latest figure for the average number of hours per week of purposeful activity and (b) the percentage each of those figures is of the target set.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been achieved in each prison and young offender institution in inmates gaining nationally recognised qualifications in the last three years.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Probation Boards

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to make the employees of probation boards in England and Wales civil servants.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Probation Hostels

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places were occupied in (a) probation hostels and (b) voluntary sector hostels in England and Wales where the offender was known to the multi-agency public protection panel on the latest date for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Probation Hostels

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of places in hostels run by (a) the probation service and (b) the voluntary sector were allocated to sex offenders in England and Wales on the latest date for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Probation Hostels

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places are available in probation hostels in England and Wales; and how many were occupied by high risk offenders on the latest date for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Probation Hostels

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to target probation hostel resources at very high risk and high risk offenders.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Probation Service

John Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to accelerate theintroduction of the purchaser/provider model for the Probation Service within the National Offender Management Service structure.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 15 December 2004
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Probation Service

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of whether the purchaser/provider model proposed for the probation service will aid the ability of the probation service effectively to carry out its functions of protecting the public and reducing offending behaviour.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Prosecution Policy (Taunton)

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Director of Public Prosecutions with reference to the Three Strikes and You're Out policy recently introduced by police and the Crown Prosecution Service in Taunton.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 13 January 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Queen's Jubilee Medal

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Queen's Jubilee medals have been awarded (a) in total and (b) to each of the services.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Race (Young People)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent research his Department has commissioned into young people's awareness of and attitude towards race.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 6 April 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Race Relations (Amendment) Act

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police authorities have (a) complied with their statutory duties under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, (b) published a race equality scheme and action plan and (c) carried out race impact assessments.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Race Relations (Amendment) Act

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many local authorities have (a) complied with their statutory duties under the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, (b) published a raceequality scheme and action plan and (c) carried out race impact assessments.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Reconvictions

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the Prison and Probation Services achieved the 2004 target to reduce the rate of reconvictions of all offenders punished by imprisonment or by community supervision by 5 per cent.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Recorded Crime

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of recorded crimes resulted in a conviction in each year since 1997, broken down by recorded offence.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Regional Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which (a) non-departmental public bodies and (b) executive agencies within the remit of his Department have regional offices based on the Government Offices for the Regions' regional structure; and when the regional offices were established in each case.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Regional Offices

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what regional (a) bodies, (b) institutions, (c) taskforces, (d) panels, (e) offices and (f) organisations the Government have established since May 1997 which are the responsibility of his Department;
	(2)  which regional (a) bodies, (b) institutions, (c) taskforces, (d) panels, (e) offices and (f) organisations the Government has established since May 1997 which are the responsibility of his Department.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Rehabilitation

Helen Clark: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the results of the research on rehabilitation regimes to be published; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Released Offenders

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of literacy and numeracy rates among offenders released from prison.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Released Offenders

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of the percentage of offenders who (a) get a job and (b) live in stable accommodation when they are released from prison.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

River Police

Philip Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of (a) the relative effectiveness of policing the non-tidal Thames by each of the forces having such responsibility and (b) the percentage of the total forces resources devoted to such policing by each of the relevant police authorities.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Roadside Drug Testing

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has for roadside drug testing; and what assessment he has made of the (a) value and (b) effectiveness of such tests.

Caroline Flint: We have already given the police a power to conduct compulsory roadside tests for impairment, which may be due to a drug, and for the presence of drugs.
	Impairment tests are conducted in accordance with a Code of Practice issued on 20 December 2004. They involve a trained officer observing a suspect in the performance of specified tasks and making other observations about his physical state. They are based on the voluntary field impairment tests and drug recognition techniques that have been in use for some time and are of proven effectiveness in indicating whether a person might be under the influence of a drug.
	Tests for the presence of drugs have to be carried out by means of a device of a type approved by the Secretary of State. We are currently developing the detailed specification for such a device and the procedures by which candidate devices might be assessed in field and laboratory trials. It will then be for manufacturers to produce such devices and submit them for approval. We currently expect that suitable products will be on the market by the end of 2006.
	A reliable indication of drug presence will, in the same way as a reliable indication of impairment, valuably inform the police decision whether a person might be committing the offence of driving or attempting to drive while unfit to drive through drugs.

Royal Prerogative

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many times the royal prerogative has been used since 1975; and under what circumstances.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Royal Wedding

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of additional costs to be incurred in providing security at the wedding of HRH Prince of Wales due to its change of date.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Ryan McQuigg

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the UK security agencies will process the request submitted by the Scottish Parliament for a security pass for Mr Ryan McQuigg.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Security Industry

Alan Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will instruct the Security Industry Authority to make licence application forms readily available to door supervisor candidates and via their approved training provider;
	(2)  if he will temporarily suspend the conditionality clause covering the exemption under sub-paragraph (4)(b) of section 4 of the Private Security Industry Act 2001, pending the establishment of the approved contractor scheme;
	(3)  whether an approved contractor scheme under the Private Security Industry Act 2001 has been established;
	(4)  whether it is his policy that a person whose application to the Security Industry Authority for a licence to work as a security doorperson has not yet been considered may work as a doorperson pending that consideration;
	(5)  if he will delay further implementation of the provisions of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 until existing applicants have completed their training and registration and have been licensed as security door staff.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Security Industry

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what resources have been provided to ensure that the 20 March 2006 deadline for licensing all security personnel can be met.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 17 March 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Security Warnings

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many security warnings have been issued by the Home Office since 1997.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Sentencing

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the Sentencing Guidelines Council on the consistency of sentencing.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 6 April 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Serious Organised Crime Agency

Edward Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received from (a) HM Customs and Excise and(b) the Inland Revenue in relation to the proposedestablishment of the Serious Organised Crime Agency.

Caroline Flint: Close negotiations are continuing with Her Majesty's Customs and Excise as to the funds and posts to be transferred to the Serious Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) from that Department, and to ensure effective links between SOCA and the establishment of Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs on 1 April 2005.

Sex Offenders

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sex offenders are absent without authorisation from prisons in England and Wales.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Sexual Abuse (Historical Cases)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of complainants in historical sex abuse cases have been offered (a) counselling and (b) other support at an early stage of the investigation in each year since 2001.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Sexual Abuse (Historical Cases)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what assessment his Department has made of police compliance with guidelines for the interviewing of prisoners in historical sex abuse cases;
	(2)  whether the Department has conducted an audit of police compliance with guidelines for the interviewing of prisoners in historical sex abuse cases.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Sikhs

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will meet representatives from (a) the Sikh Federation (UK), (b) the National Council of Gurdwaras, (c) Young Sikhs and (d) the Sikh Secretariat to discuss developments since 2001 on the Sikh Agenda for the UK Government; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Sikhs

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a Minister from hisDepartment will attend the Sikh convention in 2005

Fiona Mactaggart: No invitation has been received to attend the Sikh Convention 2005. All invitations received by Ministers are considered on an individual basis, alongside other diary commitments.

Sikhs

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his Department's policy is on the wearing of the Kirpan by Sikh employees.

Fiona Mactaggart: The Criminal Justice Act 1988 makes it an offence for a person to have a bladed or sharply pointed articleother than a small folding pocket knifein a public place, without good reason, with the onus on the knife carrier to show they have a good reason for carrying it. However, the Act exempts Sikhs from criminal prosecution on the grounds that the kirpan is a religious article. Article 13 of the Treaty of Amsterdam 1999 and the Human Rights Act 1998 also protect the right of individuals to follow their chosen religion.
	Home Office staff are permitted to wear the kirpan at work.
	The Home Office will be drawing up a code of practice concerning the wearing of Kirpans by Sikh employees. This will recognise the Sikh's religious freedom to carry an article of faith and will take account of the Race Relations Act 1976 and the Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000.

Sikhs

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Prison Service's policy is on practising Sikh officers wearing the Kirpan; and if he will discuss the issue with RESPECT.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Somali Organisations

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what his estimate is of the expenditure by his Department on UK-based Somali organisations in each year since 1997; and what consultation is undertaken by his Department with representatives of the Somali community when deciding on allocations of such expenditure.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role is fulfilled by the third special adviser in his Department.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the occasions between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004 when special advisers attended meetings with external representatives at which ministers were not present.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Special Advisers

Andrew Tyrie: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the speeches his special advisers made in an official capacity between 31 March 2003 and 31 March 2004, broken down by date.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Surplus Assets Sales

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the value of sales of surplus assets from his Department was in each year since 200001.

Fiona Mactaggart: The value of sales of surplus assets for the Core Home Office for the period 200001 to 200304 are contained in the table.
	Figures for 200405 are not yet available.
	
		
		
			 Asset category 200304 200203 200102 200001 
		
		
			 Sale of vehicles 28,113 16,547 62,134 48,437 
			 Sale of plant and machinery 0 0 0 1,336 
			 Sale of land and property 1,077,492 1,250,313 0 125,439 
			 Total annual sales 1,105,605.00 1,266,860.00 62,134.00 175,212.00

Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress has been made towards achieving the Public Service Agreement target to reduce crime and the fear of crime.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to reduce crime by 15 per cent. and further in high crime areas, by 200708 will be met.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent progress has been made towards the public service agreement target for reducing the gap between the highest Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnership areas and the best comparable areas.

Caroline Flint: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Targets

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase the number of crimes for which an offender is brought to justice to 1.2 million by 200506 will be met;
	(2)  what recent assessment he has made of whether the public service agreement target to increase the number of crimes for which an offender is brought to justice to 1.25 million by 200708 will be met.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Terrorism

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the level of terrorist threat to the United Kingdom since the bomb attacks in Madrid in March 2004.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Terrorism

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the merits of introducing a new offence of committing acts preparatory to terrorism.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Terrorism

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on co-operation of EU states against terrorism.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Terrorism

Rudi Vis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in restricting the fund-raising activities of Islamist terror organisations
	 Question number missing in Hansard, possibly truncated question.

Charles Clarke: Al Qaeda continues to pose the greatest international terrorist threat. The UK supports UN sanctions against member and associates of al Qaeda and has supported the addition of 28 individuals and 11 entities to the UN Sanctions list since 1 March 2004. the sanctions require all 191 UN member states to freeze the assets of those listed.
	More generally we have developed strong working relationships across the Government and between law enforcement agencies and the financial sector. These have enabled us to create a hostiles environment for terrorists and enabled intelligence building and counter terrorist investigations.
	The role of the financial sector in this partnership has been crucial and we strongly welcome the support they have given to date and the active role they have taken in ongoing discussions on how to prevent terrorist supporters gaining access to UK financial products.
	The UK is at the forefront of international activity in this area and has worked in close co-operation with partner to strengthen international standards, target countries where enforcement and legislation is week, and providing technical assistance and capacity building where necessary.
	Multilateral efforts to counter terrorist financing have feature prominently on all international agendas in recent years. These efforts at both policy and operational have helped prevent terrorists from sourcing, moving and deploying their finances; and there is considerably more understanding of the nature of financial sources, flows, networks and destinations than there was at the time of the attacks in the USA in 2001.

Tetra

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the total cost of the roll out of the Tetra police communications network; and what estimate he has made of the cost to each person liable for payment of the Sussex Police Authority precept, broken down by costs payable through (a) the precept and (b) general taxation.

Caroline Flint: The Airwave radiocommunications system network is being centrally funded by the Home Office under a PFI contract which will cost 2.3 billion at 1999 prices over the 22 years of the contract.
	The costs of providing handsets and control centres are met by individual police forces. We do not have a breakdown of the costs to Sussex Police.
	Precepts are a matter for local police authorities. For 200405 the Sussex Police Authority budget was met 29 per cent. from precept and 71 per cent. from grants.

Tetra

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what instructions have been issued to Sussex police regarding procedures for making complaints about the operation of the new Tetra system.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Torture-obtained Information

Greg Pope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 7 February 2005, Official Report, column 1257W, on torture-obtained information, on how many occasions in the last year his Department has used information obtained by the use of torture in another country.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Transphobic Crime

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what reasons underlie his Department's policy on the recording of transphobic crimes as a distinct category within hate crime reporting.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Travellers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent staff in his Department deal with issues relating to Travellers.

Fiona Mactaggart: We estimate that less than full-time equivalent deals with specific Gypsy and Traveller issues in the Home Office. This varies as work demands, and involves a number of people spending a proportion of their time.

Vehicle Licensing Checks

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many vehicles have been stopped using Automatic Number Plate Recognition technology on suspicion of being unlicensed in each of the last three months for which figures are available; and how many such vehicles were displaying a vehicle licence disc.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Violent Crime

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of violent crime recorded in Leicester was categorised as (a) violence against the person, (b) sexual offences and (c) robbery, in each year since 19992000.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 14 March 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Violent Crime

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans his Department has to reduce the level of violent crime in (a) Leicester and (b) England and Wales.

Hazel Blears: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Violent Crime

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the project to make it possible for victims of crime to track the progress of their case online was initiated; what stage the project has reached; whether it is on schedule; and what the latest estimate of the cost of this project is.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Visa Applications

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) names, (b) functions and (c) relationship to him of the people in whose visa applications (i) he and (ii) his private office have been involved.

Des Browne: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Visa Applications

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on how many occasions (a) he and (b) his private office have been directly involved in visa applications to his Department.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Visa Applications

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he has ever contacted any foreign embassy to inquire about travel documents for any other foreign nationals.

Charles Clarke: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Visa Applications

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the settlement visa of Mrs.Marcia Morroll of Galhampton, South Devon to be renewed; when her passport will be returned; and if he will make statement on the time scale for processing this application.

Des Browne: holding answer 6 April 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Visa Applications

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the time scale for processing an application for further leave to remain from an applicant who has overstayed on a visa was in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Des Browne: holding answer 6 April 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Visa Applications

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what stage the visa applications for (a) Bukola Fakeye, reference F1054346 and (b) Lucky Osadolor, reference B1127338, have reached; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 6 April 2005
	It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Volunteering

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent research the Department has conducted into attitudes towards volunteering by the recently retired.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Wild Cat (Sydenham)

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will issue instructions to the Metropolitan Police to ensure that in hunting for the wild cat near Sydenham, they use every effort to tranquilise and capture the animal and not to kill it.

Caroline Flint: holding answer 4 April 2005
	This is an operational matter for the Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police. He tells me that that presently there is no active search taking place for a wild cat in Sydenham. Should officers encounter any animal which could be considered dangerous they will deal with it in an appropriate manner and in accordance with the Association of Chief Police Officers Manual of Guidance on the Police Use of Firearms.

Witnesses

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will consider introducing proposals to extend section 97 of the Magistrates Courts Act 1980 and Schedule 3 paragraph 1 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 to allow prosecutors to summon all potential witnesses to a magistrates court for a deposition.

Paul Goggins: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Witnesses

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the existing requirements are for taping the statements of interviews of witnesses by the police which could later be submitted for review by the prosecution.

Paul Goggins: Guidance on interviewing vulnerable or intimidated witnesses, including consideration of video recording, is contained in Achieving Best Evidence in Criminal Proceedings: Guidance for Vulnerable or Intimidated Witnesses, including Children. This guidance became operational in May 2002 when it superseded Memorandum of Good Practice on Video Recorded Interviews with Child Witnesses for Criminal Proceedings.
	The Association of chief police officers also issues guidance including: Guidance on the Recording of Interviews with Vulnerable and Significant (Key) Witnesses.

Young Offenders (Voluntary Organisations)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much funding has been given to voluntary organisations working with young offenders in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not been possible to provide an answer in the time available before Prorogation.

Neighbourhood Nursery (Crosby)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a neighbourhood nursery was attached to the Sure Start local programme opened in June 2004 in Crosby.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	The Sure Start local programme in Seaforth and Bootle was approved in 2001 to provide services to 700 children under four and their families in the wards of Church and Linacre. The Neighbourhood Nursery attached to this local programme, is located in the Linacre ward and opened in June 2004 delivering 62additional child care places to families living in the area.
	The local programme delivers a range of services for families and parents within the area, including
	Outreach and home visiting; support for families and parents;
	Play, learn and child care facilities
	Primary and community health care.
	The combined expertise within the team members covers all aspect of health, education, parenting skills, practical and emotional support and social care from ante-natal stage to nursery education.
	Seaforth and Bootle local programme has established a mobile toy library and the early years workers provide practical support around early learning and play.
	The proportion of parents expressing no concerns about the extent of their children's language development increased from 77 per cent. in 200102 to 79 per cent. in 200304.
	The community midwife provides breast feeding support sessions at birth, six weeks and 17 weeks. The rate of take up of these sessions has gone up from 34.4 per cent. in 200203 to 37.9 per cent. in 200304 at birth; 8 per cent. to 13.9 per cent. at six weeks and 4 per cent. to 8.6 per cent. at 17 weeks.
	The number of women supported by post-natal depression group increased from 13 in 200203 to 30 women in 200304.
	The programme funding for the current and future years is as follows:
	
		
			  Programme name: Seaforth and Bootle () 
		
		
			 Capital  
			 Approved 825,211 
			   
			 Revenue  
			 200405 770,140 
			 200506 789,393 
			 200607 789,393 
		
	
	Sefton council have been allocated capital of 1,954,031 and revenue of 250,000 for 200405 and 323,432 for 200506, and are planning to open seven Children's centre by March 2006.